Discovery Learning 1
Japan’s interrogation records of An Yong-bok were found.
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Records from the end of the seventeenth century have been recovered that show that An Yong-bok advocated Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo, and that he received a written document which prohibited Japanese fishermen from trespassing near the islands.
On May 17, 2005, a newspaper in Shimane Prefecture newspaper reported that the historical source “Genroku 9 Korean Coast Nautical Scrolls” had been discovered in an old family storage room. This document stated that 11 people, including An Yong-bok, were interrogated in 1696 in the Oki Islands while en route to Matsue domain.
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According to the document, An Yong-bok declared that he “was on his way to meet the administrator of Hoki [that is, today’s Shimane Prefecture] for a discussion.” In response to the interrogations, he stated that Ulleungdo was what the Japanese call “Takeshima” and presented a Joseon map and pointed to Ulleungdo as being part of Gangwon-do. In addition, he attested that Matsushima was also a part of Gangwon-do and that Koreans called it Jasan(do).
The newspaper added, “It is unclear from Japanese records which island An Yong-bok was referring to by ‘Jasan(do),’ but his statement that ‘Joseon and Takeshima (Japan’s name for Ulleungdo at the time) are 30 ri apart and Takeshima and Matsushima (current Dokdo) are 50 ri apart’ points to Dokdo.”
Lastly, the document mentioned the “Eight Provinces of Joseon” and included an annotation for Gangwon-do which read, “Takeshima and Matsushima are in this province,” which indicates that Japan recognized Matsushima to be Korean territory.
- -Gyeonghyang Sinmun, May 18, 2005-
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- Discovery Learning 1
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1. Read the article and refer to Chapter 6 to explain how An Yong-bok stated his position.
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2. Explain how Ulleungdo’s jurisdiction differs from its jurisdiction today.