- Dokdo in the East Sea
- Dokdo in the East Sea
Dokdo in the East Sea
Table of Contents Open Contents
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Ⅰ. Dokdo in History
- 1) Dokdo: Korean Territory
- 2) Dokdo’s Name Changes
- 3) The State of Usan’s Tribute to Silla and Goryeo
- 4) Ulleungdo and Dokdo in the Joseon Period and the Retrieval Policy
- 5) Japan’s Recognition of Dokdo as Korean Territory
- 6) Ulleungdo Development and the “Imperial Ordinance No. 41 of the Great Han Empire”
- Dokdo’s Annexation, the First Signal of the Invasion of Korea
- 8) Dokdo’s Restoration after World War II
- Ⅱ. Dokdo Controversies
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Ⅲ Dokdo Educational Resources
- 1. Dokdo’s Location
- 2. East Sea Misnomer
- 3. Origin of the Name for Dokdo
- 4. Japan’s Recognition of Dokdo as Korean Territory
- 5. Imperial Ordinance No. 41 of the Great Han Empire and Dokdo’s Sovereignty under Modern Law
- 6. The Illegality of Japan’s Annexation of Dokdo under International Law
- 7. SCAPIN Order No. 677 Excludes Dokdo from the Japanese Domain
Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers from after the end of World War II (September 2, 1945) to the formalization of the San Francisco Peace Treaty (April 28, 1952). On January 29, 1946, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) issued SCAPIN Order No. 677 and defined the scope of Japanese domain to be “the four main islands of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku) and approximately 1,000 smaller adjacent islands.” Clause 3 of this declaration explicitly excludes “Utsuryo (Ulleungdo) Island, Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) and Quelpart (Jeju) Island” from Japanese territory. Furthermore, the map attached to this directive specifically labeled Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territory. Soon thereafter, the Government of the Republic of Korea was established, and the provisions of SCAPIN Order No. 677 remained intact until the United States military transferred control to the Korean government.
Until the formalization of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Dokdo was treated independently from Japan by the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This was in accordance with the Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) which expressed that Japan be expelled from territories it had “taken by violence and greed.” This applied to Dokdo, as it was a Korean territory that Japan had taken by “violence and greed” during the Russo-Japanese War.
The Government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948, on the basis of a United Nations resolution, and Dokdo’s Korean sovereignty was restored to its current status as an annexed island of the Korean Peninsula. As a continuation of the provisions by the Allied Powers, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was formalized in September of 1951, and although the treaty did not expressly exclude Dokdo, the islet must be assumed to be a part of the territories in which Japan’s sovereignty was expelled. Furthermore, the Rusk Note of 1951, used by Japan as a basis for Dokdo sovereignty claims, was an opinion by the United States and not an opinion by the Allied Powers, and therefore does not have any effect in determining Dokdo’s sovereignty.
Until the formalization of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Dokdo was treated independently from Japan by the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This was in accordance with the Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) which expressed that Japan be expelled from territories it had “taken by violence and greed.” This applied to Dokdo, as it was a Korean territory that Japan had taken by “violence and greed” during the Russo-Japanese War.
The Government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948, on the basis of a United Nations resolution, and Dokdo’s Korean sovereignty was restored to its current status as an annexed island of the Korean Peninsula. As a continuation of the provisions by the Allied Powers, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was formalized in September of 1951, and although the treaty did not expressly exclude Dokdo, the islet must be assumed to be a part of the territories in which Japan’s sovereignty was expelled. Furthermore, the Rusk Note of 1951, used by Japan as a basis for Dokdo sovereignty claims, was an opinion by the United States and not an opinion by the Allied Powers, and therefore does not have any effect in determining Dokdo’s sovereignty.