Northeast Asian History Network

An Yong-bok went to Japan on two separate occasions in 1693 and 1696 to advocate Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo to the Japanese government.
Little is known about An Yong-bok’s personal life. A scholar in the late Joseon period, Yi Ik(1681-1763), described An Yong-bok in Digest of the Sacred Learning as a sailor from Dongnae (now Jwacheon, Busan) who served in the navy in Gyeongsang-do. At this time, he regularly visited the The Japan House and honed his skills in the Japanese language. Japanese records indicate that he was a private slave under a Seoul resident named Oh Chung-chu and that he lived in Busan.
He had multiple aliases including An Dong-ji, An Bi-jang, An Byeon-jang, and An Byeong-sa, among others. Japanese documents recorded his name as An Yong-bok. His age is unclear, as multiple records from 1696 indicate that he was 33, 36, and 43 at the time.


The diplomatic dispute that arose as a direct result of An Yong-bok’s multiple visits to Japan is collectively known as the An Yong-bok Incident. This incident is known as the Ulleungdo Border Dispute in Korean records and as the Takeshima Incident in Japan. To be more precise, the 1693 incident is known as the An Yong-bok Kidnapping Incident, and the 1696 incident is called An Yong-bok’s Visit to Japan.


In March 1693 (the nineteenth year of the reign of King Sukjong), An Yong-bok and 40 other fishermen from Ulsan conducted fishing activities near Ulleungdo. In April, he and Park Eo-dun were captured by Japanese fishermen and taken to the Oki Islands. When interrogated, An Yong-bok advocated Korean sovereignty over the Ulleungdo fishery to the Oki Island officials, and thus both men were sent to Yonago. He continued to claim Korea’s sovereignty over Ulleungdo and Dokdo in Yonago and protested his illegal capture.
The Yonago administrator who held the two men in detention sent an inquiry to the Edo shogunate through a Matsue domain lord in Edo (the old name for Tokyo). At this time, Matsue domain requested to the shogunate that Joseon fishermen be prohibited from entering Ulleungdo. The shogunate sent An and Park to Nagasaki, and after further investigation, ordered the release of these two men back to Joseon. However, the shogunate decided to send a Diplomatic Document to the Joseon government demanding that they prohibit Joseon fishermen from fishing near Ulleungdo (eleventh month of 1693).
This sparked a dispute between the two countries over which one had sovereignty over Ulleungdo and Dokdo (1694-1695). During this time, the Edo Shogunate sent an inquiry to the Tottori clan in regards to Ulleungdo and Dokdo’s domain.
After much research and a dispute that lasted over two years, the Edo shogunate acknowledged Ulleungdo and Dokdo to be Joseon territory. The shogunate issued the Takeshima (Ulleungdo) border crossing prohibition, which forbade Japanese fishermen from trespassing on Ulleungdo (first month of 1696).
An Yong-bok and Park Eo-dun arrived at Tsushima in the sixth month of 1693, and both men were repatriated to the Japan House in Busan in the ninth month. An Yong-bok was detained in Tsushima for about 50 days, and even after arriving in Busan, he was detained for another 40 days until his release in the twelfth month of 1693.


After being imprisoned for two years for illegal trespassing, An Yong-bok returned to Japan to advocate Joseon’s sovereignty over Ulleungdo and to prohibit Japanese fishermen from entering Ulleungdo’s area.
An Yong-bok went to Ulleungdo in 1696 (the twenty-second year of the reign of King Sukjong) along with four Ulsan fishermen, one nobleman, and five monks. An confronted Japanese fishermen over trespassing in Ulleungdo. As the Japanese fishermen retreated to Jasando (Dokdo) and then to the Oki Islands, An followed them to Japan. He once again advocated Joseon’s sovereignty over Ulleungdo and Jasando and requested to report the incident to the daimyo of Matsue domain (han). With no response from the daimyo, An decided to enter Matsue domainand protest directly. Under false pretenses, he donned an official uniform and went to Matsue domain with a flag that read “Ulleung Jasan Tax Administrator .” He presented the “Map of the Eight Provinces” as evidence of Joseon’s sovereignty over Dokdo.
An Yong-bok’s protest was immediately reported to the shogunate through the Matsue domain government. Eventually, An and his companions were deported. They returned to Yangyang, Gangwon-do, in the eighth month of 1696.
An Yong-bok and his companions were investigated by the Border Defense Council for illegal trespassing and sentenced to death for their crimes. However, several officials acknowledged An Yong-bok’s contributions for claiming Joseon sovereignty over Ulleungdo and Dokdo and revealing the events in the area. In recognition, he was sentenced to be exiled rather than executed in the third month of 1697.


Japan has claimed An Yong-bok to be a liar. In May 2005, a historical text entitled “Genroku 9 Year of the Rat Korean Coastal Nautical Scrolls” was discovered in Oki Island. It contains interrogation records for An Yong-bok. On his second journey to Japan, An Yong-bok presented the “Map of the Eight Provinces” as evidence. His interrogator recorded information from the map and labeled “Takeshima (Ulleungdo)” and “Matsushima (Dokdo)” to be within the jurisdiction of Gangwon-do.


The Ulleungdo/Dokdo territorial disputes that began in 1693 ultimately resulted in the Edo shogunate resolving the issue with the Takeshima border crossing prohibition. The Edo shogunate made an inquiry to the daimyo of Matsue domain regarding whether the two islands were under Matsue domain jurisdiction (twelfth month of 1695), to which the Matsue domain daimyo replied, “From Joseon to Matsushima (Dokdo) is 80-90 ri, Matsushima (Dokdo) to Takeshima (Ulleungdo) is 40 ri, and Oki Island to Matsushima (Dokdo) is 80 ri. Ulleungdo and Dokdo are not part of Matsue domain’s jurisdiction.” (first month of 1696) 1. .
The shogunate issued the Takeshima border crossing prohibition on the twenty-eighth day of the first month of 1696 to Matsue domain. Japan had acknowledged Joseon’s sovereignty over Dokdo. However, the Takeshima border crossing prohibition was not immediately received by Matsue domain, and was received much later by the Joseon government, in the tenth month of that year.


After An Yong-bok returned to Joseon in the fourth month of 1693, the Joseon government dispatched Jang Han-sang to investigate Ulleungdo and its neighboring islands. Jang reported the following in Ulleungdo Study.
Due to the An Yong-bok Incident, the Joseon government gained detailed knowledge of not only Ulleungdo but Dokdo, as well. This has been reflected in the historical documents.
Reference Documents on the Eastern Country (1770) contained in it. The State Geographical Survey, in which was written, “Ulleung and Usan are part of Usan, and Usan is referred to as Songdo by foreigners.” This information solidifies the fact that Usando = Matsushima = Dokdo. This information is also included in Essentials of Governance (1808) and Comprehensive Study of Civilization, Revised and Expanded (1908).


After the An Yong-bok Incident, the Joseon government dispatched Jang Han-sang, a military official, and then other officials to Ulleungdo and nearby islands once every three years. The search policy introduced in 1697 was utilized from 1699 until 1894, when it was abolished.
To prove that the duties were performed, the search official would bring back juniper, red clay, sea lion leather, and other specialties from Ulleungdo for the king. The official would even carve his name on the rocks of Ulleungdo. Excluding times of famine, this process was carried out continuously. As a result, a wealth of information and knowledge about Ulleungdo and its neighboring islands was amassed, which is reflected in the historical documents and maps.