- Dokdo in the East Sea
- Controversies surrounding Dokdo
- Ten Truths about Dokdo Not Known in Japan
Dokdo in the East Sea
Table of Contents Open Contents
- Ten Truths about Dokdo Not Known in Japan
- 1. Japan claims it has long recognized the existence of Dokdo.
- 2. Japan claims there is no evidence that Korea recognized the existence of Dokdo in the past
- 3. Japan claims that it established its sovereignty over Dokdo in the mid-seventeenth century.
- 4. Japan claims that it banned passage to Ulleungdo in the late seventeenth century, but did not ban passage to Dokdo
- 5. Japan claims that Ahn Yong-bok’s statement is not reliable
- 6. Japan claims Japan reaffirmed its intention to claim sovereignty over Dokdo by incorporating the island into Shimane Prefecture in 1905
- 7. Japan claims that while drafting the San Francisco Peace Treaty the United States suggested that Dokdo is under the jurisdiction of Japan
- 8. Japan claims the designation of Dokdo as a bombing range for military practice for the United States Forces in Japan shows that Dokdo was treated as part of Japan’s territory
- 9. Japan claims that the Republic of Korea is illegally occupying Dokdo
- 10. Japan claims although Japan proposed to the Republic of Korea to refer this dispute over Dokdo to the International Court of Justice, the Republic of Korea rejects doing so.
Japan claims although Japan proposed to the Republic of Korea to refer this dispute over Dokdo to the International Court of Justice, the Republic of Korea rejects doing so.
Japan proposed to the Republic of Korea to refer this dispute over Dokdo to the International Court of Justice in September 1954 and in March 1962. However, the government of the Republic of Korea has rejected the proposal.
Japan’s claims is not true because...
Dokdo is a symbol of the Republic of Korea’s sovereignty. There is no reason to bring this issue to the International Court of Justice.
It is an obvious fact that Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory through history, geography, and international law. The Republic of Korea now exercises its legislative, administrative, and judicial rights over the island (see Material 15). Thus, Dokdo may not be subject to any diplomatic negotiation or judicial resolution.
In response to the Japanese government’s proposal to refer this issue to the International Court of Justice in 1954, the Republic of Korea government expressed the following position, a position which has not changed to this day.
The proposal by the Japanese government is merely an attempt at another falsification that is disguised as a judicial procedure. The Republic of Korea has sovereignty over the island, and has no reason to prove its own legitimate rights at the International Court of Justice.
Dokdo was the first victim of the Japanese invasion in Korea. The persistent and unreasonable claim of Japan over the island makes Koreans suspicious that Japan might intend to invade Korea once again. For Koreans, Dokdo is not only a tiny island in the East Sea, but a symbol of Korean sovereignty.
For the two countries to lay foundations for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia through cooperation, and not to repeat the tragic history, Japan should first renounce its groundless claim over Dokdo.
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- MATERIAL 15. Dokdo, a symbol of sovereignty of the Republic of Korea (The lighthouse and the national flag of the Republic of Korea, the Taegeukgi, on Dokdo)
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Dokdo, a symbol of sovereignty of the Republic of Korea (The lighthouse and the national flag of the Republic of Korea, the Taegeukgi, on Dokdo
