Dokdo / Takeshima / Liancourt Rocks - disputed islands in the Sea of Anonymity
Another editorial was printed in the Korea Herald today regarding the conflict over names so I thought I'd put up another posting myself. I'm sick of this. You're probably sick of this. Apparently there are people who are not sick of this... so for their benefit I am going to add a bit more information on the subject. I promise you that I am not repeating links, just adding to background material. Basically there are three big controversies in Korea regarding names. The first one is the battle between Koreans and Coreans. That one has taken a bit of a backseat though lately since it's not so dependant on other countries and timetables. It's basically a domestic issue as far as I am concerned. What has come up again is the dispute over the naming of the body of water east of Korea and west of Japan, and the fate of a pair of pebbles that float in the middle-- called the Dokdo Islands in Korean, the Takeshima Islands in Japanese, and apparently the Liancourt Rocks in English (though the were named by a Frenchman).
My take on the whole thing? In regards to the body of water, I am henceforth going to avoid calling it the East Sea. I am also going to dissuade myself from naming it the Sea of Japan. In an effort to antagonize everyone involved-- I am going to put forward the title: Sea of Anonymity. That is, until I come up with something better. From time to time I'll still likely use the other names, depending on whether I love or hate Korea on whatever day in question. As for the Dokdo Islands, it is of note that there are two of them. I say, let the wisdom of Solomon prevail and give one each to Korea and Japan. Then install huge loudspeakers on the top of both peaks so that each country can scream obscenities at the other. As for what to call them, maybe I'll slowly switch to "Liancourt Rocks" in an effort to maintain a sense of
The Liancourt Rocks
Japan has a few territorial disputes that are ongoing. Not only is the fate of these islands in question, but so is that of the Southern Kuriles (claimed by Russia) and the Senkaku Islands (claimed by China/Taiwan). One of these conflicts got a recent boost. The former president of Taiwan decided to ruffle some feathers and announce that China had no legitimate claim over the Senkaku Islands. That scores one point for Japan. A couple nights ago, something similar showed up on the internet regarding the Dokdo Islands (sorry I didn't get to save the link but it was in Korean). A rumour was passed along that someone in the Korean government had secretly signed over the Islands to Japan. I personally think that these two stories were mixed up but time will tell.
Korea currently occupies the Islands with Coast Guard troops, and has done so since the 1950's. Plans for the future (2004) are to establish the islands as a national park. This may also be a wise temporary resolution to the issue. The islands themselves are worthless. They are two barren outcroppings of rock that barely classify as anything more than a navigation hazard-- BUT the waters surrounding them are said to be rich in gas reserves as well as being historic fishing grounds. The creation of a national park may do nothing to solve the ownership debate, however it would ensure that the islands are not exploited by either country until there is a permanent resolution to the issue.
There is one more thing to consider though. Beyond the demarcation of lines, treaties, and land claims... this century has seen Korean blood spilled on the islands. In 1948, Korean fisherman were mistakenly bombed by B-29s of the U.S. 5th Air Force, who were using the Dokdo islands as targets on training runs. In the demesne of diplomacy, the pen may be mightier than the sword, but blood is thicker than ink. Koreans have paid a sacrifice to use and inhabit the islands and most political borders in the world today were drawn up due to the same.
The East Sea of Japan.
Koreans perceived that Japan had scored another point on September 19th when the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) announced it was suspending its vote over the matter of naming the UFO (Unidentified F***ing Oceanwater) between the two countries, in its upcoming edition of "Names and Limits of Oceans and Seas". Presently, the IHO has stated that it will be producing a revised proposal for next spring, before the books come out. The Korean Foreign Affairs Department immediately pledged to continue the fight while the National Assembly helpfully said, "Hey wait a minute! How about calling it 'The East Sea'?"
So again, I went back to the historical maps of the region that I could find (somewhat reduced to searching Ebay and other auction sites on the internet). I did manage to find a good article about maps in the British Library who have 90 maps in their possession which cover the relevant areas and of those, 73 either refer to the body of water as the "East Sea" or the "Sea of K/Corea". Early maps do seem to side with Korea on this issue (although there is not clear uniformity). The switch to naming it the "Sea of Japan" appears to have taken root in the 19th century though-- earlier than the accepted "colonial" period which is usually blamed for the switch. Indeed, it would seem that naming it after Japan was more of a counter response to Korea's Hermit Kingdom status. I suppose it just made more sense to Europeans to name it after your trading partner-- as opposed to the country that wanted nothing to do with you and would kill or imprison you if you dared step foot on its soil. (Korea's come a long way from that to hosting the World Cup, eh?).
At any rate, I grabbed some images and thumbnailed them for you so you can see part of the spread of nominal diversity. Just click on the thumbnail and a slightly larger (though not necessarily better quality) map will open in a new window. You may still have to squint pretty hard to make out whether the 5-letter word is "Japan", "Corea" or "Korea"... and in one case you have to tilt your head.
| 1750 - Bellin map showing the "Sea of Corea" |
|
| 1805 - Arrowsmith - Lewis map showing "Sea of Japan" |
|
| 1815 - J. Thomson map with "Sea of Japan" |
|
| 1850 - Spanish map with the "Sea of Corea" |
|
| 1851 - John Tallis map stating "Sea of Japan" |
|
| 1853 - New York Illustrated News showing "Sea of Japan" |
|
| 1861 - J. & C. Walker naming it "Sea of Japan" |
0 Comments
Post a Comment
Home