Northeast Asian History Network

In 1868, daimyo lords in Japan overthrew the Edo shogunate, resulting in the Meiji Restoration. This event restored absolute imperial rule to a newly unified Japan, bringing it into the modern period. The new government wished to build relations with Joseon, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a survey committee to Joseon in December 1869. The committee was directed to investigate a total of 14 different items.
The survey objectives and the report are contained in “Confidential Inquiry into the Particulars of Korea’s Relations with Japan” (1870). An excerpt from the report stated, “Takeshima (Ulleungdo) and Matsushima (Dokdo) are part of Joseon territory.” This report confirms that the Japanese government was well aware of Joseon sovereignty over Matsushima (Dokdo).
The following information regarding Takeshima and Matsushima is found in “Confidential Inquiry into the Particulars of Korea’s Relations with Japan.”


Japan was actively modernizing when it instituted the Abolition of the Domain System. While the Ministry of Home Affairs was compiling maps from all regions of Japan in 1876, a request was made to the Shimane Prefecture for maps and geographical records about Takeshima (Ulleungdo). Shimane Prefecture sent the “Map of Kijukdo” and inquired about listing Ildo as a territory in addition to Takeshima. The “Map of Kijukdo” lists the distance from Matsushima (Dokdo) to Isotakeshima as 40 ri, which indicates that the two islands in question are Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
Based on this information, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided that the two islands were not a part of Japanese territory. However, as territorial decisions were critical, it requested that the Daijōkanreview the findings and make the final decision. After reviewing the documents and maps provided by the Shimane Prefecture, the Daijōkan Order was issued on March 29, 1877. It stated, “Ulleungdo and Dokdo have no relation with Japan, and keep this in mind.”
This declaration was written confirmation that the Japanese government acknowledged Joseon sovereignty over Dokdo and Ulleungdo.
Although some scholars in Japan have claimed that “Ildo,” which is mentioned in the Daijōkan Order, is not Dokdo, the “Map of Kijukdo” labeled an island next to Isotakeshima as Matsushima. Therefore, Ildo is Matsushima, which is in fact Dokdo.


From the late seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, the Joseon government sent officials to inspect Ulleungdo and its neighboring islands. Although the “search official” required that all people on the island return to the mainland, travel to the island was frequent, and even Japanese fishermen harvested abalone and performed logging operations. In the early 1880s, a Japanese person installed a signpost on Ulleungdo which read “Matsushima.” When the Joseon government discovered this, a survey of the island was performed to gauge development possibilities.
In April 1882, King Gojong dispatched an inspector Lee Gyu-won (李奎遠) to survey Ulleungdo and its neighboring islands. At the time of the inspection, 141 Joseon people and 78 Japanese people were residing on the island. Over 100 inspectors investigated the area, and Lee Gyu-won filed the following reports to King Gojong: “Ulleungdo Inspection Journal,” “Ulleungdo Exterior Map,” and “Ulleungdo Interior Map.”
In response to Lee Gyu-won’s reports, King Gojong commanded the development of Ulleungdo, and settlers officially started to inhabit the island in 1883. The government instituted a preferential policy to encourage migration. It gave tax exemptions to Ulleungdo’s settlers and permitted shipbuilding on the island. Kim Ok-gyun was designated as the Southeastern Islands Development Official (東南諸島開拓使)to encourage the development of Ulleungdo and its neighboring islands. Over two trips, a total of 54 people in 16 families moved to Ulleungdo. Among the supplies taken by these settlers were food, two cows, and weapons. These actions signified the Joseon government’s commitment to full administration over the islands.


As the number of Ulleungdo residents and Japanese immigrants increased, stronger administration was required to manage the residents. The government assigned an (island) mayor to oversee Ulleungdo, but that was not enough. After Japan defeated Qing China in war in 1895, an influx of Japanese immigrants to the island proved cumbersome. The Korean Empire government, with assistance from the Japanese government, dispatched a joint inspection committee to investigate the situation in Ulleungdo from May 31, 1900, to June 5, 1900. Inspector Woo Yong-jung filed a detailed report and proposed the deportation of Japanese immigrants, the purchase of a ship, and a reform of the the island’s administration.
In response, the Joseon government issued the “Imperial Ordinance No. 41 of the Korean Empire” (October 25, 1900) to raise the position of mayor to governor and change the island’s name from Ulleungdo to Uldo. In addition, the area was brought into the Uldo military jurisdiction and Ulleungjeondo, Jukdo, and Seokdo provisions were established. “Jukdo” refers to a small satellite island, and “Seokdo” refers to Dokdo. At the behest of King Gojong, Ordinance No. 41 was published in the official Gazette (No. 1716) on October 27, 1900, and Ulleungdo and Dokdo’s sovereignty was claimed in accordance with modern law.


“Seokdo” in Ordinance No. 41 refers to Dokdo. “Ulleungjundo” in the Ordinance refers to Ulleungdo and the nearby Gwaneumdo. “Jukdo” is a small satellite island close to Ulleungdo. “Seokdo” refers to Dokdo. Some residents of Ulleungdo referred to Dokdo as “Dokseom.” “Dok” is a dialect variation on “Dol” (Rock). “Dokseom” or “Dolseom” literally means “Rock Island.” When expressing the Korean words “dol” and “dok” in written Chinese, they become “seok” (石) and “dok” (獨). Therefore, Dolseom → Dokseom → Seokdo → Dokdo are all variations of the same name.


As with all names, when words are written in Chinese characters, island names can change due to people’s confusion, errors, or new information.