Dokdo
Dokdo is an island located at the eastern tip of South Korea, in the East Sea. It is located in Dokdo-ri, Ulleung-eup, Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, about 87.4 kilometers from Ulleungdo. Dokdo consists of two main islands, east and west, and about 89 surrounding reefs, covering an area of about 0.187 square kilometers.
Dokdo is a territory of the Republic of Korea.
- Sejong Shilok Geography (1454): The official history book of the Joseon Dynasty, the Sejong Shilok Geography, lists Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Usan Island and Muryeong Island, making it clear that these two islands are part of Joseon territory.
- Korean Imperial Edict No. 41 (1900): During the Korean Empire, King Gojong stated in Edict No. 41 that the Uldo Islands consisted of Ulleungdo, Dokdo, and Jukdo. This document is the official government record of the inclusion of Dokdo as Korean territory.
- Japanese maps before 1905: Late 19th century maps, such as the Great Japanese War map, do not include Dokdo and show it as Korean territory.
- San Francisco Peace Treaty (1951): The treaty does not explicitly address the issue of Dokdo, but there are documents that indicate that the United States and the United Kingdom intended to return the islands to South Korea.
- U.S. Geographic Commission's study report: A report by the U.S. Geographical Survey Commission, prepared at the request of South Korea, identifies Dokdo as Korean territory. The US government officially recognizes Dokdo as a territory of South Korea, and South Korea has effective control over it. Since it is a territory of South Korea, it is also effectively controlled by South Korea.
- Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs document (17th century): According to early documents issued by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan recognized Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Joseon's territory. This is a clear recognition of Joseon's rights to Dokdo and Ulleungdo from the Japanese side, and the Japanese shogunate did not consider Dokdo as Japanese territory to avoid conflict with Joseon.
- 1877 Taizenkwan Directive: An official directive issued by the Taizenkwan, the highest executive branch of the Japanese government, states that “Ulleungdo and Dokdo are areas not related to Japan”.
- 1895 Geographical Map of Japan by the Emperor of Japan: The Atlas of Great Japan, produced by the Imperial Japanese Government, states that Dokdo is not included in Japan's territory.
- Maps of Japan before 1905: Several maps produced in Japan from the late 19th century through 1905 (e.g., Great Japan Map, Joseon Map) do not show Dokdo as Japanese territory.
- Meiji government documents: Japanese government documents from the Meiji era also recognize Dokdo as a territory of Joseon. Japan did not clarify its territorial claims to Dokdo and Ulleungdo during the Meiji period, and stated that they belonged to Joseon.
Some maps showing Dokdo as a territory of South Korea
Joseon Paldo Map (1530): This is one of the earliest maps from the Joseon Dynasty, showing Ulleungdo and Usando (now Dokdo) on the eastern border of Korea.
The Great Battle of Japan (1779): The Great Battle of Japan, a map from the Edo period of Japan, does not include Dokdo in Japanese territory and clearly identifies Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territory. Other maps drawn by Japan include Dokdo and Ulleungdo in the territory of the Republic of Korea.
This map was published by the Meiji government in 1870, based on the 1821 “Great Map of Japan's Sea Islands” by Ino Tadataka, one of Japan's greatest cartographers. The map divided the whole of Japan into four parts, including Oki Island in San'in, which is now Shimane Prefecture, but did not include Ulleungdo and Dokdo.The photo above shows the San'in, Sanyo, Nankai, and Saikai parts of the four maps.
This map was created by Nagakubo Sekisui, a scholar of the Edo period. Next to Dokdo and Ulleungdo on the map is a phrase from the Eunju Chinghakki, indicating that the map was based on the Eunju Chinghakki, which identifies “the limits of Japan's northwestern boundary as Oki Island.”In the official editions of this map, including the first edition of 1779, Ulleungdo and Dokdo are treated differently from Japanese territory, as they are not colored like the Korean mainland and lie outside the longitude and latitude lines.
- The Japan邊界略圖 (日本邊界略圖) is a map created by Takahashi Kageyasu in 1809 for the shogunate of Japan for the purpose of demarcating Japan's territory, labeling the East Sea as the “Joseon Sea”. It is considered an important historical source for the recognition of Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territory, and is currently used as a resource by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related historical research sites.
- The Japanese military's “Exploration of Diplomatic Relations with the Republic of Korea” (1870): A report produced by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a document for diplomatic negotiations with the Joseon Dynasty, notably stating that Ulleungdo (竹島) and Dokdo (松島) were excluded from Japanese territory.
- 1861 Map of Daedongyeo: The Daedongyeo Map, created by Kim Jeong-ho of the Joseon Dynasty, is a representative map of the geography and territory of Korea, and Dokdo is shown on this map.
- 1877 Japanese Taizen directive and Japanese map: In 1877, the Taizen, the highest executive branch of the Japanese government, directed that Ulleungdo and Dokdo were not related to Japan, and there are documents and maps that show that Dokdo was recognized as a Korean territory.
- The Korean government's 1899 declaration of war against Japan: At the end of the Korean Empire, the Korean government's map of Korea shows Dokdo as Korean territory.
- Jeju Samdo Map (early 1700s): One of the earliest maps to show Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territory, identifying Dokdo and Ulleungdo as the “eastern tip of Joseon.
- Joseon Map (1903, Japan): A Japanese-produced map of Korea that identifies Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territory.
- Maps of the American Geographical Society and the State Department's Geographical Commission: Maps produced by the United States in 1946 and 1951 show Dokdo as Korean territory, and served as the basis for the United States' designation of Dokdo as Korean territory after the defeat of Japan.
- Royal Navy chart of the East Sea (late 19th century): This map also shows Dokdo as Korean territory and identifies the East Sea as the maritime boundary between Korea and Japan.
and so on, showing that historically, Dokdo is a territory of our country, the Republic of Kore
During the Japanese occupation, they treated not only our resources but also our people as they pleased, and now they want to take Dokdo. We should try to defend what is ours more vigorously.
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