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Tokdo Dispute History:

BACKGROUND:

Called Tokdo (Lonely Islands in Korean), Takeshima (Bamboo Island in Japanese), and the Liancourt Rocks in English, the volcanic isles are situated some 90 miles off each nation's shore. They are located at 37 degees 14 minutes 18 seconds north latitude and 131 degrees 52 minutes 12 seconds east longitude and comprise 34 rock islets, including the two most prominent, Tongdo and Sudo. Tongdo on the east is 99.4 meters above sea level, is 64,698 square meters in size. And Sudo on the west is 174 meters above sea level is 91,740 square meters in size. The islands were formed 4.5­2.5 million years ago and are mainly composed of volcanic tuff and other volcanic rock. Both countries claim the islands because their sailors and fishermen used them as rest stops centuries ago. South Korea has the advantage of controlling the islands now. Seoul has stationed Maritime Police officials on the rocky outcroppings since 1954. Japan has often asserted its rights to the islands and sent its own Self-Defense Forces to patrol the area.


Tokdo Police Stand Guard (16 Mar 05) The real issue is potential wealth from the sea. Waters surrounding the islands contain rich fishing grounds and possible mineral deposits. The heart of this disagreement is economic. Both countries want sovereignty over the isles in order to maximize the fishing and mineral rights they can claim. The United States takes no position on the dispute which is one of several sources of discord between these two important U.S. allies in Northeast Asia. The United States has endeavored to avoid direct involvement. U.S. policymakers seem to judge that American interests in stability, free navigation and good relations with Asian allies and friends are best served by this low-key approach. Although the San Francisco Peace Treaty does not specifically mention the islands for return to Korea after WWII; the fact that Japan does not administratively control the islands places them outside the territory governed by the Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Treaty. And while Korea might be interpreted as having administrative control with its current coast guard contingent, it is doubtful the U.S. would recognize the legitimacy based on the known history of the dispute. As such, the Mutual Defense Treaty between the U.S. and the ROK would also appear to be inapplicable since the treaty commits the U.S. to defend only that territory recognized by the U.S. as belonging to Seoul.

HISTORY:

HISTORY: According to the Korean side, Tokdo has been part of Korea since Lee Sa-bu, a governor of the ancient kingdom of Silla, conquered Usan'guk, the previous name of Ullung Island, in the year 512. Tokto was then called "Murung." Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) tells that Lee made use of fake wooden lions to threaten the residents of Usan'guk to surrender as they were tough, but ignorant fishermen. Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), written by scholar and ranking official Kim Pu-sik in 1145, deals with the three ancient Korean kingdoms -- Koguryo, Paekche and Silla. However, though Japanese and Korean scholars both agree to Shilla incorporating Usan'guk, some Japanese scholars question whether Tokdo was a part of Usan'guk as there is no indication that Usan'guk included the Takeshima/Dokdo islands, some 100 kilometers away.

Later, a map compiled in 1432, early period of the Choson Kingdom, also showed that the two islands are located close enough to be seen from each other on a clear day. There is a record in a fifteenth century Korean document describing that there were 15 families with the total of 87 people living on the island described as Takeshima/Ullungdo. (SITE NOTE: Tokdo is 92 km from Ullungdo and can NOT be seen except as a "ghost island" (a vague hazy object) in the distance only during the colder winter months when visibility is better with lower humidity in the air. (See Photo of Tokdo from Ulleungdo.) However, recent photos that have appeared on the internet were taken with telephoto lenses and were digitally enhanced to give the impression that Tokdo is much closer to Ullungdo than it actually is -- misleading Koreans to believe that it can be seen "on a clear day." There is Jukdo island that is 4 km off-shore which has land that can support farming and is most likely the island referred to in the older texts. See OhMy News for pictures of Jukdo island -- a very pretty setting with homes and agricultural fields.)

Although there is no record of the exact date of Tokdo's discovery, Japan has been aware of its existence since the beginning of the Edo Period (1603-1868). Up to 1900, Ullungdo was called "Takeshima" and "Ullungdo" by the Koreans. Tokdo called "Matsushima" by the Japanese and "Usando" by the Koreans. After 1900, the Koreans reverted to the name called "Tokdo," while the Japanese called it "Takeshima." Europe's early recognition of Tokto dates back to 1787 when the islets first appeared in European maps. Some French explorers visited the island on a Far East expedition. In 1849, French whale hunters began to call Tokto ``Liancourt Rocks,'' after a French whaler ship, and this later became a common name for the islets on European maps produced before the 20th century. According to Dokto Dispute by Yong-Ha Shin (Professor of Sociology and Social History, Seoul National University, Korea). ,

"The first written records on Tokdo are traced to Silla pon'gi (Annals of the Kings of Silla) and Yoljon (Biographies) both in Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms). These entries state that Tokdo became a part of the Korean territory in 512 A.D. when Usan'guk was subjugated by Silla."

Some Japanese scholars question whether Usan'guk comprised Tokdo as part of its territory when the country was brought under the dominion of Silla. To this query the Man'gi yoram (Handbook of state Affairs) of 1808 quotes the Yojiji (Gazette) in its chapter on military adminstration: "Usando and Tokdo all belonged to Usan'guk, and Usando is what Japanese call Matsushima."

The Japanese scholars concede to the fact that up until 1900 Ullungdo had been called Takeshima and Tokdo, Matsushima, by Japanese. As for the Korean appellation Tokdo was originally called Usando implying its derivation from Usan'guk.

Around the end of Koryo, waegu (Japanese pirates) had become increasingly rampant and plundered coastal areas. As Ullungdo had been subject to their frequent and severe pillage, King T'aejong of the Choson dynasty sought the safety of the islanders by evacuating them and began to assume a vacant island policy toward Ullungdo.

Some of them escaped to Ullungdo for re-settlement, but were always compelled to return. In this process Tokdo acquired the official designation of Usando.

Although the Chosun dynasty followed this vacant island policy for Ullungdo and Tokdo since the time of King T'aejong -- the rock islands of Tokdo were uninhabitable anyway, this did not mean they had been abandoned. The administrative policy was adopted out of necessity to ensure the safety and security of the island's previous inhabitants.

Following in the footsteps of King T'aejong King Sejong also adhered to this policy, but confirmed Korea's title to these islands in the Sejong sillok (Annals of King Sejong) as follows:

The two islands of Usan and Mullung are located in the sea due east of the hyon (country), and they are not far from each other, so one is visible from the other on a fine day. They were called Usan'guk during Silla period.

Usan refers to Tokdo, and Mullung to Ullung, and the hyon to uljinhyon (country).

The Chosun dynasty complied and published Ton'guk yoji sungnam (Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea) in 1481 and Sinjung tongguk yoji sungnam (Revised and Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea) in 1531 to define and demarcate authoritatively the territory of Korea.

Of these, the former has not survived but its contents are incorporated into the latter. The Revised and Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea states that "Tokdo and Ullungdo are under the jurisdiction of Uljinhyon of Kangwondo as an administrative unit." On the map attached to the book are shown two separate islands of Usando (Tokdo) and Ullungdo in the middle of the Eastern Sea.

The old Korean maps published thereafter follow with a very few exceptions the example set by this gazette and its attached map in recording the two separate islands. Slightly different locations of the islands are seen on the maps, which are attributable to immature cartographical skills, but which do not affect the fundamental question of Korea's title to these islands. In particular, the three major maps, i.e., Tongkuk chido (The Map of Korea) by Chong Sang-gi (1678-1752), Haejwa chondo of 1822, and Chosun chondo (A complete Map of Korea) by Kim Tae-gon (1821-46) show the exact location and name of Usando on the right side of Ullungdo.

The Edo Shogunate Government prohibited visits to Ullung (Utsuro) Island in 1696 owing to a conflict between Japan and Korea and it was left abandoned, but Tokdo (Takeshima) was considered to belong to Japan and visits to these islands were not banned. However, the disparity comes in that ROK historians claim that the Edo Shogunate prohibited visits to Tokdo as well stating it was "Korean" territory. Some Japanese scholars agree with the Korean view that a conference between Edo and Chosun was held in Pusan in 1696 where the Japanese agreed that BOTH Ulleung and Tokdo were Korean territory and travel was forbidden to BOTH. According to Dokto Dispute by Yong-Ha Shin (Professor of Sociology and Social History, Seoul National University, Korea),

"The Japanese government cites Onshu shicho goki (Records on Observations in Oki Province) edited by Saito Hosen in 1667 as the first record of Tokdo. Saito was a retainer of the daimyo of Izumo (sesshu) and at his lord's behest made an observation trip to Oki Island whereupon he submitted these records to his lord. In the report Tokdo and Ullungdo were both ascribed to Koryo (Korea) and Oki was indicated as Japan's western-most boundary:

Oki is in the middle of the North Sea and is called Okinoshima. Going further from there for two days and one night in a northwesterly direction, one reaches Matsushima. Also there is Takeshima at another day's travel. These two islands are uninhabited and viewing Koryo from there is like viewing Oki from Onshu. And thus Oki marks the northwestern boundary of Japan.

Here again, Matshshima refers to Tokdo and Takeshima to Ullungdo. This first Japanese record on Tokdo as an official document clearly places Oki within Japan's territory, and Tokdo and Ullungdo within that of Koryo.

Although the Chosun dynasty adhered to the vacant island policy, Korean fishermen along the southern and eastern coasts could not resist the temptation of harvesting fish in the rich fishing grounds off these two islands. The use of the Tokdo as a fishing ground in later years by both Koreans and Japanese fishermen -- again without the knowledge of the Korean government -- often gave rise to conflicts between the Korean and Japanese fishermen. Aware of the Korean government's policy, the Tokugawa Shogunate granted licenses to Jinkichi Otani (Otani Jinkichi) and Ichibei (Murakami Ippei) of Yonago City to travel to Tokdo (Takeshima) and Ullung (Utsuro) in 1618 -- without the knowledge of the Korean government. This enabled the Otani and Murakami to cross secretly to Ullung (Utsuro) to fish and fell trees. On their way to Ullung (Utsuro) Island, they used Tokdo (Takeshima) as a midway base camp, and also hunted and fished there.

(SITE NOTE: The Japanese account shows the Otani and Murakami families did not travel "secretly" as the Koreans claim, but did so with permission in 1618 as the islands were unoccupied at the time. According to the Shimane Province Website, "In the year 1618, Jinkichi Otani and Ichibei Murakawa of Yonago City received permission from the Shogunate Government to land on Utsuryo Island in order to catch abalone, sea lions, and to cut down trees and bamboo for lumber. On their way to Utsuryo Island, they used Takeshima as a midway base camp, and also hunted and fished there." Japan's account of the island is traced to the 1650s when the island of Tokdo/Takeshima, then known as Matsushima, were granted by Tokugawa Shogunate to the Ooya and Murakawa families of the now Tottori prefecture.)

In the spring of 1693 in the 19th year of King Sukchong about 40 Korean fisherman from Tongae and Ulsan clashed with the Japanese fishermen operating under the Otani and Murakami license. According to Dokto Dispute,

"The Japanese proposed that the matter be settled peacefully and asked the Koreans to send their delegates. An Yong-bok and Pak O-dun went to the Japanese side as Korean delegates, but were captured and forcefully taken to Oki. There An Yong-bok squarely confronted the lord of Okinoshima and protested against his capture while on the Korean land of Ullungdo.

The lord found the case outside of his official competency and sent An Yong-bok to his superior, the magistrate of Hokishu (Shimane-ken today). Interrogated by the magistrate An explained in a dignified manner that Ullungdo was Korea's territory and demanded that the magistrate prohibit Japanese fishermen from using the island. The magistrate of Hokishu appeared aware that Ullungdo belonged to Korea and had An taken to the Kanpaku (Imperial Regent) of the Shogunate, who in turn confirmed Korea's title to Ullungdo, ordered the magistrate of Hokishu to write a note that Ullungdo was not Japan's land and to send An back to Korea with the note. While en route to Korea An was seized by the lord of Nagasaki, the note he was carrying was confiscated, and he was jailed on the grounds of having trespassed onto Japanese territory.

NOTE: The sticking point is An's note which was "stolen." According to the Japanese view, in 1696, the shogunate prohibited Japanese from sailing to Ulleung, but allowed them to go to Takeshima, which was handled as a fishing base until the Meiji era (1868-1912).

Japan's documents confirm that An Yong Bok came to Japan twice as a Korean delegate after fishing conflicts between Japanese and Korean fishermen. According to Chosun Dynasty documents, An said the lord of Hoki Province recognized the Ulleung and Takeshima islands as Chosun territory, but the document was stolen by members of Tsushima Province.

However, there are no documents to substantiate An's testimony.

The Japanese government has repeatedly notified South Korea that An's testimony was baseless after comparing his report with Japan's documents."

Taking advantage of this event the lord of Tsushima, So Yoshitsugu, attempted to annex Ullungdo and Tokdo to Tsushima. He apprehended An still again, accused him of trespassing on Japanese territory, and had him returned to the magistrate of Tongae. He also sent an envoy named Tachibana Masashige to Tongae with a letter to be transmitted to the Chosun dynasty government through the magistrate. In the letter So pretended there existed an island named Takeshima that belonged to Japan which was similar to, but different from Ullungdo. He stated that he would not allow any Korean boat to go to this island (Takeshima) and demanded that the Korean government prevent Korean fishermen from going there. The lord of Tsushima, who knew that Takeshima was but another name for Ullungdo, likely attempted to trick the Korean government into accepting in writing the existence of a Japanese-owned island named Takeshima, start a dispute over the possession of Takeshima alias Ullungdo, and finally absorb the island into his possession. This would have been a multi-stage strategy.

The Chosun dynasty government leaders split over the issue. At first the moderate faction in power prevailed and cautioned against a head-on clash with the Japanese whose militancy and ferociousness had been well demonstrated during the Hideyoshi invasions of Korea between1592 and1598. They feigned ignorance of the fact that Chukto (Takeshima) was another name for Ullungdo and made only clear that Ullungdo was Korea's territory, recognized Takeshima as Japan's, and promised to keep Koreans from fishing off the island. The response to the lord of Tsushima read in part:

Whereas our fishermen on the eastern coast are not allowed to go to sea and are prohibited to travel at will to Ullungdo which is our own distant territory, how could they be authorized to go to other places? That this boat ventured into your territory of Takeshima and you took the trouble of remanding it, and that you dispatched an official letter from afar, we would like to express our gratitude for your good neighorliness.

The moderate faction's equivocation over the designation of Ullungdo that was also called Chukto (Takeshima) and its accedence to the Japanese claim to an island named Takeshima were typical of an easy-going expedient that might sow the seeds of a dispute over the title to Ullungdo itself.

Though he had half-accomplished his mission when he received Korea's reply stating "your territory of Takeshima " Tachibana Masahige, who was staying at the Japan House in Tongae, objected to the passage "Ullungdo which is our own distant territory" He requested persistently for a fortnight that these words be deleted from the note but to no avail. The deletion of these words would have placed Ullungdo at the disposal of Japan under the name of Takeshima. At this news the hardliners rose to action, censured the moderates, and drove them out of power. Nam Ku-man, the leader of the hardliners, implored the King to punish the moderates and recover the official letter they had given to the Japanese. This entreaty was understood and action was taken.

Nam Ku-man and his followers questioned An Yong-bok and others who had been kidnapped and taken to Japan, and learned of the scheme concocted by the lords of Tsushima and Nagasaki in disregard of the Kanpaku's directive to recognize Ullungdo (Takeshima) as Korea's territory. Ignorant of this turn of events in the Korean government So of Tsushima sent Tachibana to Tongae again in August 1694 to repeat his request for expurgation of the words "our territory Ullungdo" from the letter.

The new Korean government turned this down out of hand, declared the first reply null and void, and sent a new revised letter to the effect that Takeshima was another name for Ullungdo which was Korea's territory. It reprehended the Japanese act of encroachment on Korean territory and the kidnapping of An Yong-bok and others. The letter strongly requested that the Shogunate in Edo be notified of this fact and that Japanese be barred form coming to Ullungdo ever again. However, So Yoshitsugu of Tsushima took issue with this and confronted the Korean government without withdrawing his claim to Ullungdo while calling it Takeshima. This led to tension between the Korean governement and the Shogunate in Edo.

In the meantime, So Yoshitsugu died and was succeeded by So Yoshimichi who paid a courtesy call to the Kanpaku in January 1696 upon his inauguration. In Edo, in the presence of the magistrates of Hoki and three other provinces, the Kanpaku raised important questions to So Yoshimichi on the question of Takeshima. After a series of queries, answers, and ensuing discussions, a decision was reached to recognize Takeshima (Ullungdo) as Korea's territory.

The Kanpaku's instructions to So included the following:

Takeshima is about 160-ri (64km) from Oki but only about 40-ri (16km) from Korea; therefore, it can be considered Korean territory as it is nearer to that country.
Japanese are forbidden henceforth to make passage to Takeshima
The lord of Tsushima should communicate this to Korea
He should also send the Osakabe Daisuke (judge) of Tsushima to Korea officially to notify the Korean government of this decision and report the result of his mission to the Kanpaku.

This was an important decision by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the central government of Japan, and reconfirmed Korea's title to Ullungdo and its adjacent islands. Upon his return to Tsushima So Yoshimichi sent a brief note to Korea through an official translator wherein he conveyed the decision of the Kanpaku, but delayed sending the Osakabe Daisuke to Korea.

Having realized So's intention to seize Ullungdo and Tokdo despite the Kanpaku's decision An Yong-bok decided to visit the magistrate of Hokishu again and discuss the matter personally.

According to the Sukchong sillok (Annals of King Sukchong) An Yong-bok enlisted 16 fishermen and went to Ullungdo in 1696. There he found some Japanese fishing boats at anchor. An protested loudly against the Japanese for their trespassing onto the Korean territory of Ullungdo and threatened to arrest them. The Japanese said they were living on Matsushima (Tokdo) and strayed onto Takeshima (Ullungdo) while fishing and would return. An Yong-bok retorted that Matsuhima was also Korea's possession and demanded to know why they were living on a Korean island. Early the next morning An and some Korean fishermen found fish in a cauldron, destroyed the cauldron, and fulminated against the Japanese who fled back to Japan.

An and his company pursued the Japanese boats to Oki island. Asked by the lord of Oki what had brought him there An explained that he had come to Oki several years before and obtained agreement from Japanese authorities in the form of an official document issued by the Kanpaku that the two islands of Ullungdo and Usando lie within the boundary of Korea's territory. Whereupon he demanded to know why the Japanese had invaded Korean territory still again. The lord promised to transmit An's protest to his superior, the magistrate of Hokishu. No reply was forthcoming for a long period thereafter.

An Yong-bok and his company decided to negotiate directly with the magistrate. Impersonating a Revenue Supervisor for the two islands of Ullungdo and Usando An met the magistrate and explained how the Kanpaku's letter, which had been issued to him and attested to Korean sovereignty over the two islands, had been seized and doctored by the lord of Tsushima who was attempting to incorporate these islands into his own territory. He also explained that this same lord had sent an emissary to the Korean government to achieve this end. An went on to say that he would lodge an appeal to the Kanpaku and debunk the whole frame-up.

The magistrate acknowledged An's demands and requested that the Korean government bring to his attention any future act of encroachment on the Korean possessions of Ullungdo and Tokdo and any further exercise of authority by the lord of Tsushima over these islands by means of an official note and translator. Moreover, he promised to mete out heavy punishment for any such acts. The magistrate had been present several months before when the Kanpaku decided to recognize Korea's claim to Ullungdo and Tokdo and instructed the lord of Tsushima to send the Osakabe Daisuke (judge) to Korea to notify the Korean government of his decision.

An Yong-bok's activity proved highly successful, because the lord of Tsushima sent Judge Tairano Naritsune to Korea in January 1697 to notify the Korean government of the Kanpaku's decision. By 1699 the diplomatic notes had been exchanged and all the formalities had been cleard to recognize Korea's title to Ullungdo and Tokdo.

(SITE NOTE: The Japanese side disputes this account according to their records. According to the Shimane Province Website, "The Edo Shogunate Government prohibited visits to Utsuryo Island in 1696 owing to a conflict between Japan and Korea and it was left abandoned, but Takeshima was considered to belong to Japan and visits to these islands were not banned." The Japanese government's position is that since Takeshima island has always been a part of Japan, its inclusion into Shimane is only a formality.)

After the An Yong-bok incident and the Kanpaku's reconfirmation of Korea's title to Ullungdo and Tokdo around the end of the 17th century, no documentary records of the period showed Japan's claim to these two islands. (This refers to the documents of the period released to date by the Japanese government.) Nor do any Japanese maps edited by the Japanese government or semi-governmental organizations since the end of the 17th century show these two islands as Japanese possessions.

The Sangoku setsujozu, (A Map of Three Adjoining Countries), a map attached to the Sanggoku tsuran zusetsu (An Illustrated General Survey of Three Countries) by Hayashi Shihei (1738-1793), an eminent scholar of the day, published in 1785 shows international boundaries and foreign countries in different colors: Korea is in yellow and Japan in green. On the map Ullungdo and Tokdo are shown in their exact positions in yellow. Along side the islands Hayashi wrote, "Korea's possessions."

Hayashi also treated Korea and these two islands in the same way with an explanatory note in the Dainihonzu (A Great Japan's Map), another map attached to An Illustrated General Survey of Three Countries. In the latter part of the 18th century, a Japanese geographer made a map called Soezu (A Complete Illustrated Map) which uses colors to distinguish national borders and territories: Korea in yellow and Japan in red. Ullungdo and Tokdo are not identified by name, but are shown in yellow in their accurate positions and described as "Korea's possessions."

These typical maps of the Tokugawa era are solid evidence that Ullungdo and Tokdo are integral parts of Korea's territory, which the Japanese government cannot negate. The Tokugawa Shogunate and the Japanese people recognized and respected these two islands as Korea's until the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

At the start of the Meiji Era, Ullung (Utsuro) Island was once again opened up to travel. Large numbers of fishermen visited Ullung (Utsuro) Island once regulations governing trade between Japan and Korea were established in 1883, and Tokdo (Takeshima) was used as a midway port. Towards the end of the second decade of the Meiji Era (1868-1912) people of the Oki Islands also hunted and fished for abalone, sea lions and other marine life on Tokdo (Takeshima) .

The present name Tokdo, which is based on the Korean pronunciation of two Chinese characters meaning ``rocky islets,'' was first shown in a report of a Ullung governor Shim Hung-taek in 1906. Historians assume that the new name began to be used when settlers of Ullung Island used it as a fishing base in summer after they moved from various provinces of the nation, beginning in 1882. (SITE NOTE: See 1899 Korean Map of Ullung Island -- with purported Tokdo island near it to the SOUTH -- but Tokdo is actually 92 km away to the EAST, thus weakening the Korean side's supposed "proof.")

According to the Korean side, a Japanese geography book, the "Great Japan Geographical Dictionary" written by Dr. Yoshida Togo (1864-1918) at the beginning of 1900, states that there were three major disputes between Korea and Japan over the Dokdo islets - in 1621, 1699 and 1883. According to Korean interpretation, it says that in each of the disputes, the then Japanese emperor admitted "the island is a part of Korean territory" and announced "Japanese people do not go to Takeshima because the island is a part of Korean territory." According to Dokto Dispute by Yong-Ha Shin (Professor of Sociology and Social History, Seoul National University, Korea),

When the Meiji government was established in 1868 and the Tokugawa regime overthrown by samurai, the Japanese Foreign Ministry sent Sada Hakubo and Moriyama Shigeru to Korea to study the Korean situation in December 1869. The list of items for investigation included the circumstances under which Takeshima (Ullungdo) and Matsushima (Tokdo) had become Korea's possessions which was submitted to and approved by the Dajokan (the Council of State).

This list is evidence that the Foreign Ministry and the Dajokan both recognized Korea's title to these two islands. The report of this study mission was included in the Chosenkoku kosaishimatsu naitansho (A Confidential Inquiry into the Particulars of Korea's Foreign Relations) and was incorporated in the Nihon gaiko bunsho (Japan's Diplomatic Documents). This official document also substantiates the japanese government's acknowledgement of these two islands as Korea's territory. Among the official documents released by the Japanese Ministry of Home Affairs are papers that attest to Korea's title to Ullungdo and Tokdo. In 1876 the Ministry instructed all prefectures to conduct a land survey in order to make a national registery and map of the nation. At this time, Shimane prefecture inquired of the Ministry whether or not Takeshima (Ullungdo) and Matsushima (Tokdo) were to be covered by this survey. For five months the Ministry examined all the papers exchanged between Korea and Japan around the end of the 17th century and concluded that the question of the title to these two islands had already been resolved in 1699 (the 12th year of Genroku). The Ministry decided to exclude these islands from the survey. However, the Ministry considered it necessary to refer the matter to the Dajokan for its sanction. Iwakura Tonomi, Minister of the Right, the third highest in the cabinet, and the acting head of the Dajokan also approved an instruction to be dispatched to Shimane prefecture. The directive made it clear that Japan had nothing to do with Takeshima (Ullungdo) and Tokdo that were part of Korea's territory and that they should be excluded from the land survey.

Not only the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, and the Dajokan, but also the Ministry of the Army and the Navy, recognized Tokdo (Matsushima) as Korea's territory in the maps they edited and published.

Chosen jenzu (A Complete Map of Korea) published by the Staff Bureau of the Ministry of the Army in 1875 positions Tokdo in the territory of Korea in the deliberately expanded right-hand margin. [A Detailed Map of Korea (Chosen saiken zenzu) by Endo Someki published in Japan in 1873 shows Usando (Tokdo) and Ullungdo as part of Kangwon province of Korea.] The Chosen tokai kaiganzu (A Map of the Eastern Coast of Korea) by the Hydrographic Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy places the two islands inside the Korean territory.

The latter published in 1876 was based on the charts mapped by Russian and British warships of Korean territory. In the lower right-hand section it shows the three accurate and vivid photograph-like drawings of Tokdo done by the Russians from three different directions and distances. The map was reprinted in 1887 and ran into many impressions until 1905.

The Ministry of the Navy also published Chosen suiroshi (The Korean Sealanes) wherein Tokdo appears in the Korean territory. Kan'ei suiroshi (The Sealanes of the World) published by the Ministry of the Navy in 1886 first uses the name Liancourt Rocks for Tokdo in part 4 of Korea's Eastern Coast, in Vol.·(second edition). The publication of the chart was discontinued in 1889 when the sealanes of the world were treated separately by countries. The japanese version does not include Tokdo.

This practice by the Ministry of the Navy had continued until January 1905 when Japan incorporated Tokdo sub rosa into Shimane prefecture without the knowledge of Korea. This was immediately after the Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War when Korea was virtually under Japanese control . Then in 1907 Japan began to show Tokdo north of Okinoshima in the chart in Vol.· of the Japanese Sealanes.

According to the Japanese side, in 1905, Japan reaffirmed its intention to possess Takeshima by a Cabinet decision, followed by a notification by Shimane Prefecture officially incorporating Takeshima as part of the Prefecture. It was publicized in the official bulletin and reported in newspapers, to which the Korean government expressed no objection, or even interest.

However, the Korean side states that the Korean international affairs was at that time handled by the Japanese -- thus there was no protest. It then claims that the islets were recognized as Korean territory as late as 1877 so how could it be deserted. "Japan first claimed Tokto belongs in their territory as it was then a deserted island, but it is contradictory with their own government document printed in 1877, which clearly indicates Tokto is part of Korea,'' Shin Yong-ha, emeritus professor of Hanyang University in Seoul claimed in his book against Japan's claim. ``They did not even announce their insistence in a newsletter from their central government. They claimed their sovereignty over the islets stealthily _ in a newsletter from the Shimane Prefecture on Feb. 22, 1905,'' the former sociology professor at Seoul National University said. According to Dokto Dispute,

As the Russo-Japanese war broke out on February 8, 1904, the Japanese Navy built many watchtowers with wireless telegraphs on Korean coasts including two on Ullungdo (August 1904) to keep watch on the movements of the Russian Vladivostok fleet. In order to construct another on Tokdo, the Navy sent the warship Tsushima to the area in November 1904. At this time a Japanese fisherman living in Shimane prefecture by the name of Nakai Yozaburo intented to obtain a Korean government exclusive license for sea lion hunting and fishing off Tokdo. He applied to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce for negotiation with the Korean government on his behalf. This information was passed by the director of the ministry's Fisheries Bureau to Adm. Kimotsuki Kendo, Director of Hydrographic Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy, who assumed Tokdo (Liancourt Rocks) to be a terra nullius, and told Nakai to apply to the Japanese government -- not the Korean government -- for "incorporation of Liancourt Rocks into Japanese territory and lease of the island." Adm. Kimotsuki apparently wanted to annex Tokdo and establish part of a Japanese surveillance network there. He also appears to have been taking advantage of the stationing of Japanese troops in Seoul, as well as Japan's prevailing influence over the Korean government at the time.

That Nakai was cognizant of the legal status of Tokdo is evident in Nakai Yozaburo rirekisho (Nakai's Personal History), Nakai jigyo keiei gaiyo (An Outline of Nakai's Business Operations), and Shimane Kenshi (Annals of Shimane prefecture). Nevertheless, he followed Adm. Kimotsuki's suggestion and filed the aforesaid application simultaneously to the Japanese Ministries of Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture and Commerce on September 27, 1904.

At the Japanese cabinet meeting on January 28, 1905, Nakai's application was approved and it was decided:

to incorporate into Japan's territory a terra nullius located 85 nautical miles off Okinoshima at 39°9.30?N. latitude and131°55?E. longitude, because there is no evidence of its being occupied by any country, call it Takeshima, and place it under the jurisdiction of the Administrator of Okinoshima.

The Ministry of Home Affairs notified Shimane prefecture of this cabinet decision, and the prefecture, in turn, put the decision on public notice (Prefectural Notice No. 40) repeating the information given in the parentheses above (on the bulletin of the prefecture and local newspapers) on February 22, 1905. Now, this action is to be examined in light of international law, precedents and practice.

• Japan's claim to prior occupation of a terra nullis. As has been seen already, there are many documents attesting to Korea's title to Tokdo before January 1905, and the Japanese documents that ascertain Korea's possession of Tokdo before this period abound. There is also a publication on the topography of Korea by the Russian Ministry of the Treasury edited in 1898 and published in 1900 which recognizes Tokdo as part of Korean territory and shows the accurate location of the island taken from a survey conducted by Russian warships. These documents provide tangible evidence that Tokdo was not a terra nullis at the time of Japan's annexation of Tokdo.
• The mode of notification of the acquisition of the territory should be called into question. The acquisition of a new territory is to be notified to the countries involved, if it is to satisfy the requirements of international law and practice. The Japanese government had neither contacted the Korean government for inquiry on the question before hand, nor did it serve notification afterwards.

This contrasts sharply with Japan's action when it acquired the Bonin (Ogasawa) Islands in the Pacific. At this time Japan contacted Great Britain and the U.S. several times -- countries which were only remotely involved; moreover, it notified 12 European countries of its establishment of control over these islands.

Considering the Meiji government recognized Korea's title to Tokdo through the Foreign Ministry and the Dajokan in 1875, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Dajokan in 1877, the Ministry of the Army in 1875, and several times thereafter through the Ministry of the Navy in 1876 and the Ministry of the Home Affairs in 1905 when it opposed the plan to incorporate Tokdo, the question naturally follows why Japan did not contact the Korean government beforehand and did not notify it of the action afterwards.

The answer seems simple: the Japanese knew that the island had been under Korean sovereignty and the Korean government would have reacted immediately and strongly, had it known of Japan's intent or act of annexation. Also, the foreign diplomatic missions posted in Seoul were still active then, and Japan may have concluded it inadvisable to incur their suspicion of its aggresive designs by making public announcement of the acquisition of Tokdo.

Accordingly, the Japanese government may have tried to veil the matter from public knowledge. This action was followed by the construction of a watchtower on Tokdo by the Japanese Navy in July 1905. It was eventually removed after the end of the war with Russia.

Under Japan, who was a colonial force in Korea from 1910-1945, the island were governed under the jurisdiction of the Oki Islands, which lie 157 kilometers from the Takeshima. According to the Japanese, "in 1904, a resident of the Oki Islands, Yozaburo Nakai, requested the government to incorporate Takeshima as a territory and lease it out for the purpose of sea lion hunting. In response to this, the government officially named the islands Takeshima during a cabinet meeting on January 28th 1905, and designated it the property of the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture. Based on this, the Governor of Shimane Prefecture announced the details in the 40th Shimane Prefectural Report on February 22nd of the same year. The islands were also entered in the State Land Register for Oki-no-kuni, District 4 in the same year. All requirements under international law, including the approval of sea lion hunting in accordance with fisheries supervision rules, the construction of a large temporary signpost for passing ships, inspection by the Governor, and site surveys by officials from Shimane Prefecture, Division 3, were carried out to full satisfaction. In addition, the fishing dwellings and other buildings put up by Yozaburo Nakai and related parties were used throughout the years, and under effective Japanese control until the end of World War II. In accordance with international law, Takeshima clearly belongs to Japan." (See Shimane Prefecture: Takeshima Homepage.)

In 1904, the Japanese Army occupies Seoul after the abortive attempt by the Chosun rulers to have the Chinese offset the growing Japanese presence. The Chinese retreat in disgrace after being soundly trounced by the Japanese. In 1905, under the name of Takeshima, the island was proclaimed by Japan under the terra nullius doctrine, which allows a country to assume control over land that is unclaimed. Korea claims it was unaware of this action to obtain Takeshima as Japanese territory. Korea feels that it might have failed to maintain its occupation of Tokto and nearby Ullungdo for a short while due to historical circumstances, but that is a very brief portion of a very long history. Japan says Tokto were ``ownerless’’ islets up for grabs in 1905 which the ROK disputes. (See The Territorial Dispute over Tokdo for an excellent account of the Japanese and Korean argument.) According to Dokto Dispute by Yong-Ha Shin (Professor of Sociology and Social History, Seoul National University, Korea),

The Korean government became aware of the matter on March 23, 1906, one year after the event took place, when the lord of Okinoshima of Shimane prefecture and party called on magistrate Sim Hung-t'aek of Ullungdo during their inspection trip to Tokdo and told him that the island had become Japan's possession.

The date, March 28, 1906, is important. On September 5, 1905, the Portsmouth Treaty was signed ending the Russo-Japanese War, and on November 18, 1905, Japan used its troops in Seoul and forced the Korean government to sign a Protectorate Treaty which it had drafted. The whole proceeding was illegal without the Emperor's sanction and seal and the royal court was surrounded by Japanese troops and therefore under duress.

The two essential points of the treaty are the transfer of full authority over foreign affairs to Japan and the appointment of a Japanese Resident-General under the Korean Emperor to supervise all aspects of Korean government operations. It thus reduced Korea to semi-colonial status.

The Korean ministry of Foreign Affairs was dismantled on January 17, 1906; the Resident-General's office opened in Seoul in February that year and took over the conduct of the foreign affairs of the Korean government. Then the lord of Okinoshima was sent to Ullungdo to inform, as if casually, the Korean county magistrate of the incorporation of Tokdo. Under these circumstances, Korea could not take any measures against the Japanese action on Tokdo.

Startled at the news, magistrate Sim Hung-t'aek reported the following day (March 29, 1906) to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Governor of Kwangwondo that he had been apprised of the incorporation of Tokdo, which was under the jurisdiction of Korea, into the Japanese territory. In his report he uses the words "this county" to refer to Korea.

Upon receipt of the report the Minister of Home Affairs renounced the Japanese claim stating that "it is totally groundless for the Japanese to lay claim to Tokdo and I am shocked by the report." Having received the report the Ch'amjong taeshin of the Uijongbu (State Council) - the acting head of government then - issued Directive No. · on April 29, 1906, wherein he denounced the Japanese claim as groundless and ordered a full inquiry into the matter.

Taehan maeil sinbo and Hwangsong sinmun, two major papers of the day, reported the Japanese action in full and protested vehemently against it. Also, Hwang Hyon (1855-1910), a well-known intellectual, bitterly criticized and protested against the Japanese invasion of Tokdo in his writings: Ohakimun (A Miscellany) and Maech'on yarok (Personal Accounts of Maech'on).

The Japanese government often indicates that the non-action of the Korean government when Tokdo was annexed demonstrates tacit acquiescence, but fails to take into account the fact that the Japanese Resident-General in Korea conducted foreign affairs and the Korean government had no diplomatic channel of its own to represent itself against the Japanese claim. It was five years prior to the Japanese annexation of the Empire of Korea that Tokdo fell prey to the Japanese machinations.

The islands were used as a naval base during World War II. Following Japan's defeat, the allied forces excluded the island from Japanese control in 1946, although the Supreme Court of Allied Powers (SCAP) did not dictate who would control the island. According to the Korean side, after the end of World War II, the allied forces determined that Tokdo and Ullung Island belonged to Korea. However, according to the Japanese side, it was clearly stated in the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 that Japan did NOT include Takeshima (Tokdo) in the definition of "Korea", when the independence of Korea was approved and all rights, titles and rights of claim was renounced. This means that Takeshima (Tokdo) remained as Japan's territory when Korea became independent. According to Liancourts Bombing Range: 1937-1952,

"Occupation Boundaries Under American military occupation, occupation force boundaries were established across Korea and Japan that separated the areas of governing responsibility between the different major U.S. Army commands that made up the occupation forces.

The U.S. XXIV Corps under the command of Army Lieutenant General John R. Hodge was charged with governing all of southern Korea and its various outlying islands. Of all the islands south of the 38th parallel known to have originally belonged to Korea, only Dokdo was not explicitly placed under the control of the XXIV Corps.

Instead, occupation boundaries drawn up in the weeks immediately after the Pacific War had placed Dokdo within the Japan-based U.S. Sixth Army´s area of responsibility, on the Japanese side of the occupation force boundary (see map).(1)

A map of the occupation boundary near Dokdo. This map, found in a collection of SCAP instructions from September 1945, shows Dokdo cited as "Take Shima [Liancourt Rocks]" and shown on this map in the upper-right corner, within the US Sixth Army's zone of occupation.

It is important to recognize that the boundaries were to be utilized only for the administrative purposes of the occupation forces. The boundaries were in no way meant to establish either Japanese or Korean territorial waters, fishery areas, nor were they meant to determine the final disposition of islands in the waters surrounding the two countries.(2) However, it is possible that since Dokdo lay within the area of responsibility of occupation forces based in Japan, it may have been decided that determinations regarding the island´s use during the occupation were to come from occupation authorities in Japan, and not from authorities based in Korea. Although Dokdo was placed on the Japanese side of the boundary, it is unclear what role the occupation boundary played regarding the island´s use as a bombing range. It may also be possible that American occupation officials could have been influenced by the opinions of their counterparts in the Japanese Government regarding the status of the island, since as early as June 1947, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials had petitioned SCAP to view sovereignty rights over the island in Japan´s favor.(3) What is clear from the documentation is that the decisions made to turn Dokdo into a bombing range in both 1947 and 1951 came from SCAP General Headquarters in Tokyo.

In the draft of the peace treaty dated December 29, 1949, formulated by the US and its allies, Takeshima was explicitly mentioned as a part of Japanese territory. The direct reference was dropped in the treaty eventually signed for the reason that the rocks were too insignificant to be mentioned in the prestigious document, and there was no indication of change of policy by the US and its allies. There appears to be evidence that Gen MacArthur and the Acting Political Advisor to the Secretary of State Sebald supported Japan's claim to Takeshima (Tokdo). (See Sebald Message) In addition, there is a reference to Article 6 with a recommendation for the reconsideration of the Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima) to support the Japanese claim. (See Article 6.) (See The Territorial Dispute over Tokdo for an excellent account of the Japanese and Korean argument.)

The problem with the negotiations after the end of WWII was Syngman Rhee's (Yi Syng Man) insistance that his reparations line include Tsushima island to the south. On 18 Jan 1952, President Syngman Rhee declared unilateral ocean rights and announced that Takeshima was included within the Rhee Line (the Yi Syng-man Declaration Line). Koreans claim that despite Japan's efforts to bring the issue up once again for the 1952 San Francisco peace treaty, the issue was excluded from the negotiation table. In 1952, the Japanese sends a note of protest to Korea over the Rhee Line. As a compromise, the allies gave Ullung (Utsuro) Island to Korea and Tsushima to Japan with the "Liancourt Rocks" (Tokdo/Takeshima) disputed. Nothing was mentioned about Dokdo.

According to Dokto Dispute by Yong-Ha Shin (Professor of Sociology and Social History, Seoul National University, Korea),

Following the surrender of Japan, SCAP GHQ was set up in Tokyo, which began to implement the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations. As the initial step, a Memorandum for Governmental and Administrative Separation of Certain Outlying Areas form Japan was issued as SCAPIN (Supreme Command for Allied Powers Instruction) No.677.

This directive limited Japan's territory to the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shigoku, and about 1,000 smaller islands. Excluded from the definition in Clause 5 of Japan's territories were Ullungdo, Tokdo and Chejudo. Clause 5 of the instruction provides that "the definition of the Japan contained in the directive shall also apply to all future directives, memoranda and orders from the Headquarters unless otherwise specified therein." Therefore, without another specific instruction by SCAP this definition could not be changed and would continue to be binding.

In accordance with this instruction, SCAP transferred the jurisdiction over Tokdo to the U.S. Military Government in Korea on January 29, 1946. When the Republic of Korea was proclaimed on August 15, 1948, all the territories of Korea, including Tokdo, automatically reverted to the Korean government.

On June 22, 1946 SCAPIN No. 1033 was issued in which Clause 5 set up the fishing and whaling areas permitted for Japanese fishermen and prohibited Japanese ships and crews from entering the 12-nautical mile seas off the Liancourt Rocks at 37°15" N. latitude and 131°53"E. longitude and approaching the island.

Things became heated between the ROK and Japan. On April 20, 1953, the South Korean coast guard went to enforce claim to the island. They were met in June by the Japanese coast guard, which drove off Korean forces. In June 1953, Shimane Prefecture and the Japan Coast Guard carried out an inspection of Tokdo (Takeshima) and ordered six South Koreans to leave the island, and erected a wooden territorial signpost. Yet the South Koreans returned and after a series of skirmishes and the sinking of a Japanese ship with one Japanese activist killed. In July 1954, Korea sent a number of armed security guards to Takeshima to occupy it and seize control. On 25 Sept 1954, the Japanese Government proposed to South Korea that the Takeshima dispute be referred to the International Court of Justice. The ROK refused. The scale of the Korean security guards there continued to increase since then, including construction of lodgings, a lighthouse, helicopter pad and a monitoring facility.

Because of this action, the US Congress added a caveat to the Mutual Defense Treaty that stated that if Korea should initiate hostilities over the "Liancourt Rocks" (among others), it was on its own. The treaty was signed on Oct 1953 and ratified on Nov 1954. However, the Congress attached an Understanding of the United States of America to the Mutual Defense Treaty. It states: "It is the understanding of the United States that neither party is obligated, under Article 3 of the above Treaty, to come to the aid of the other except in case of an external armed attack against such party; nor shall anything in the present Treaty be construed as requiring the United States to give assistance to Korea except in the event of an armed attack against territory which has been recognized by the United States or lawfully brought under the administrative control of the Republic of Korea." Even to this date, Tokdo (Takeshima) is not "lawfully under the administrative control" of the ROK.

On 22 Jun 1965, the Japan-South Korea Basic Treaty is signed, and the Takeshima is recognized as an area of dispute. But the main question that has to be answered is that in 1954, the Japanese wanted to send the matter to the International Courts to decide, but South Korea refused. In 1965, the Korea-Japan fisheries pact Treaty was signed. On 30 Apr 1978, South Korea implemented a 12-mile territorial water zone, banning Japanese fishing boats from entering.

In 1995, the ROK and Japan both ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and both declare a 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone. In 1995, an agreement was made that made the area a Joint Use area for both Korea and Japanese fishermen. Currently, the agreement between Japan and South Korea recognizes a wide area of the Sea of Japan as ``provisional waters'' under joint administration, where fishermen of both countries are allowed to operate unencumbered by the dispute over sovereignty. This area does not include the 12- nautical-mile zone around the island, which South Korea claims as part of its territorial waters.

In February 1996, Korean anger was raised by a statement from the then foreign minister, Yukihiko Ikeda, who publicly declared that the island was Japanese territory. This led both countries to indulge in a bout of gunboat diplomacy, launching navel exercises around the island in a display of military muscle. On 8 Feb 1996, Japan formally requested that the ROK cancel plans to build a berth on the easternmost island of Tokdo (Tongdo Island). On 12 Feb 1996 the ROK announced it would conduct military exercises involving destroyers, anti-submarine helicopters and fighter aircraft, around the islands. On 15 Feb 1996, the ROK began military exercises around the islands. In Dec 1996, the ROK announced plans to build a lighthouse beginning construction in 1997 and finishing in 1998. In Nov 1997 Japan demanded that the wharf facilities constructed by the ROK be removed. However, once tempers cooled, the countries did manage to sign an agreement the same year about joint exploration rights in the area.

In Nov 1998, a new fisheries pact agreement was signed establishing a provisional zone around the Island and set up a joint fisheries committee to manage fishery resources in the zone. Both countries claim their sovereignty over the island, but have set aside the dispute to move forward their fisheries negotiations. Tokyo and Seoul also concurred to gradually reduce their fish catch quotas in each other's exclusive economic zone so that they will come to equal levels in three years. South Korea's fish catch amounts to 220,000 tons a year in waters off Japanese coasts, excluding that of pollacks, while Japan's hauls come to 100,000 tons in waters off South Korean coasts. The provisional zone around Takeshima, differences over which had long kept their negotiations mired, also includes some 40 pct of Yamato Tai, a good fishing bank located northeast of Takeshima. Japan had wanted to make the joint fishing zone small in order to limit South Korean fishing in it. Japan had been insisting on a boundary of 36 nautical miles (41 miles, 66 kilometers) from the countries' shores. Japan backed down on that demand, but secured a compromise on the demarcation line, agreeing to establish it between what each country had proposed. The two sides also agreed to reduce their fishing catches in each other's waters. In Jan 1999 the ROK legislature approved the fisheries agreement. The renewal of the 1965 treaty, which will expire in late January, was based on a compromise over the demarcation of territorial waters surrounding a disputed group of islets, called Takeshima in Japan and Tokto in Korea. However, Japanese fishermen said Seoul has declared a 19.2-kilometer territorial zone around the islets, virtually banning their vessels from entering. ``Takeshima belongs to Japan, but we cannot even go near the islands because of South Korea,'' said Koji Kotani, an official with the Shimane fishermen's union. ``Our vessels have been forced to fish in poor fishing grounds due to their control over Takeshima. ``Damage to our fishing business is enormous, but we don't have financial figures to measure it because we have been unable to fish around Takeshima for a very long time.''

Fishing communities in Shimane and other prefectures along the Sea of Japan coastline have been worried for some time that they are not getting a fair deal. They say South Korean ships are overfishing in the area. It was these anxieties that fueled Shimane's move to declare Takeshima Day on the centennial of its land-grab. In short, the bill reflects the concerns of local communities.

In Dec 1999 Japanese nationals register their permanent addresses on Takeshima prompting the ROKG to allow it citizens to do the same. In May 2000 Japan's Diplomatic Blue Book is released renewing Japan's claim to Takeshima after not touching the issue in the 1998 and 1999 editions. In Sep 2000 Prime Minister Mori makes statement in an interview that Takeshima is Japan's territory based on historical facts and international law. ROK government refutes his statement.

In Nov 2000, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is denounced for including a map on the Internet homepage of the ROK embassy in Japan which does not show the Tokdo islets as part of Korean territory (Tokdo was not displayed in the satellite photo). ROK government dismissed the allegation that the islands were erased to avoid conflict with Japan. In Dec 2000, the National Headquarters for the protection of Tokdo is established in Seoul.

In Mar 2001, Shimane prefecture's governor Nobuyoshi Sumita, says Takeshima is illegally occupied by South Koreans. North Kyongsang Province subsequently decides to stop all exchanges with Shimane, its Japanese sister prefecture, in protest of the prefecture governor's remarks.

In Mar 2001 the ROK's Constitutional Court ruled that the 1999 Korea- Japan Fishery Agreement, which designates the eastern-most islets of Tokdo as in waters between Korea and Japan, has no direct relations to the sovereignty issue of the islets and does not violate the Korean constitution.

In Jun 2001 Tokyo notifies Seoul that it will bar Korean boats from fishing in the sea off the Sanriku region in protest against a fishing agreement between South Korea and Russia that covers waters claimed by Japan (Southern Kuriles). Under the Seoul-Moscow agreement signed by the two governments last December, 26 South Korean boats are allowed to catch up to 15,000 tons of saury in the waters off the Southern Kurils beginning in mid-August. Japan has complained about the accord, accusing Korea of effectively recognizing Russia's rights over the area, and eventually decided to retaliate by banning Korean boats from fishing in its economic zone off northeastern Honshu.

On 12 August 2002, the South Korean government announced its intention to designate the Tokdo islets, and an area of about 300 square kilometers surrounding it, as a national park in 2004. Later, in 2002, the Korean government declared Dokdo Natural Monument No. 336.

The question remains. If Korea believes its case is so solid, why doesn't it send it to the International Courts for resolution? It is because there is an off-chance the Japanese documentation dating back for centuries is just as valid.

There is also the problem of the EEZ that has been declared. Currently the ROK uses Ullungdo Island as the "starting point" of its EEZ. If it uses Tokdo as the "starting point" of the EEZ, it would immediately run into a problem as the Japanese have reefs in their territory in the Sea of Japan/East Sea that could be used as its "starting point" -- encompassing Tokdo and making the issue a matter of international dispute. Thus the ROK continues to NOT use Tokdo as the starting point for its 12-mile exclusionary zone around Tokdo -- but rather from Ullungdo Island 92km away from the islet.

The second problem -- that continues to the present in "historians" documenting their cases -- is the conflicting references. Both the Japanese and Koreans cite references to buttress their cases that unfortunately have problems since there are double references to the "Tokdo" in question. Most of the maps or cited passages that the Koreans use as "proof" of Korean ownership of the islet as being near Ullungdo (and easily seen) -- while Tokdo can only be seen as a "ghost island" in the winter months. (NOTE: Highly publicized photos of Tokdo being seen from Ullungdo were taken with telephoto lenses and then digitally enhanced to give the public the impression that the island is close to Ullungdo. This ursury has not been challenged by the Korean press -- though the photos are used as background photos in articles.)

The Korean NGO groups have even gone so far as to state that the CIA Fact Book is biased towards the Japanese as it claims Tokdo/Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks is a disputed area. The answer to these groups is that they need to look at the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty which has a US Congressional caveat that states that if hostilities break out over the Liancourt Rocks (among others) initiated by the ROK, the US will NOT come to its assistance.

2005 DISPUTE:

Japanese air controllers sent the plane's flight schedule to South Korean authorities, according to Seoul's foreign and national defense ministries. The aircraft then left Osaka. Seoul said it was forced to scramble four jet fighters to intercept the plane. Four warnings were issued before the aircraft turned away. In Osaka, Asahi Shimbun officials said the plane departed Osaka Airport at Itami at 9:10 a.m. with three crew members, a reporter and a photographer. At 9:40 a.m., while off the coast of Shimane Prefecture, the plane was notified by Osaka Civil Aviation Bureau that South Korean authorities did not grant permission for it to enter the airspace. So the pilot altered course accordingly, they said. The flight was dispatched to report the situation around the island. A flight schedule with the planned route and timetable was submitted to the bureau beforehand, according to the daily. The aircraft did not enter Seoul's air-defense identification zone, remaining over international waters and within a flight zone governed by Tokyo air controllers, an Asahi official said. Takuji Tanaka, The Asahi Shimbun's managing editor of the Osaka head office, said. ``We turned around before reaching the South Korean air-defense identification zone because we were informed that South Korea was refusing entry. We did not enter the zone, and we did not go against international aviation rules.

As to the SDF patrol plane, "...the Japanese military responded to a request from South Korea to identify the plane only after the plane had headed home." No jets were scrambled. On 17 Mar an RF-4C plane from Japan's Self Defense Forces came as close as 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the South's Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, a military zone surrounding the country's airspace, around 12:20 p.m., officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Although the aircraft stayed within Japanese airspace, the Korean military says the fast-approaching plane ignored two warnings, telling it to stop and confirm its position before responding to a third warning and returning to Japan. In response, two Korean military aircraft were dispatched.

Protest at Japanese Embassy and Shredding of Flag (13 Mar 2005)
(NOTE: Unlike the US, the Japanese flag was only recently approved as the National symbol and caused a furor when Japanese schools were mandated to fly the flag by the Education Ministry. Japanese do not view this flag in the same way the Americans do.)

On 13 Mar a veterans group of individuals who claimed they were trained to infilitrate North Korea staged a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy. Shirtless, the individuals sat with the pictures of two Korean freedom fighters in front of them. There was failed attempt by members of a human rights organization, Hwalbindan, to enter the Japanese Embassy. In a rally that followed the protest, two persons, identified as Park Kyung-ja, 68, and her son Cho Seung-gyu, 40, each cut off their smallest finger in protest against the recent moves by Japan. (NOTE: This was in Yonhap News, but it was deleted later because it does give Koreans a slightly fanatical look.)

Protest of Unification NGO groups, comfort women, etc. outside Japanese Embassy (16 Mar 2005)

On 16 Mar 2005 South Korea filed an official complaint over a SYMBOLIC Shimane prefectural ordinance to designate Feb. 22 as "Takeshima Day," the date when the Japanese prefecture issued a notice claiming Tokdo/Takeshima as part of its territory 100 years ago. To the Japanese, the ordinance was intended to raise awareness of Japan's claim to the rocks. To the Koreans, this is a claim on Tokdo. The Shimane notice issued a 100 years ago is the backbone of Japan's claim over Tokdo, but South Korea says the argument is groundless, because it was made when Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was deprived of its diplomatic powers by Japan.

Toshinao Urabe, deputy chief of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, was called in to hear the complaint in a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon. Song also rapped Japan's central government for its "passive" attitude, the official said, referring to the fact that Tokyo did little to defuse the dispute. The central government of Japan has largely kept a low profile in the dispute, insisting that it cannot meddle in a local government's business. In Tokyo, South Korean Ambassador Ra Jong-yil met Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi and filed a similar protest.

Outside Shimane's legislative building in the city of Matsue on 16 Mar 2005, Choi Jae-ik, a Seoul city Assemblyman, was stopped by Japanese police in the act of trying to cut off one of his fingers with a knife. In Seoul, police buses were parked the length of the Japanese Embassy's front wall to keep protesters away. Several groups of up to 50 protesters shouted slogans asking their government to take a stronger stand against Japan. Anti-Japanese sentiment is sweeping across South Korea, as Tokyo has increased its attempts to lay claim to Tokdo.

Meanwhile, on 17 Mar 2005, Japanese media reported on Korea's strong reaction to the passage of the bill while expressing concern that the dispute may damage 40 years of diplomatic ties. The Asahi Shimbun reported that the passage of the bill reflected the frustration of Japanese fisherman, seeking more fishing grounds around Tokdo. Another Japanese daily, the Yomiuiri Shimbun, urged a renegotiation of the fishing zone the two countries drew up around the islands. Currently the Tokdo fishing grounds are for joint use, but the Japanese fishermen complain the area is so crowded with Korean boats it is impossible to fish there. Several groups of Korean residents have demanded that the New Korea-Japan Pact on Fishing in 1999 be abolished at this time.

North Gyeongsang Province meanwhile said it was cutting its sisterly relationship with Shimane Prefecture, as it had threatened to do should the bill pass. Gyeongbuk Province Governor Lee Eui-geun asserted at the news conference that Japan’s intrusive action in the “Korea and Japan Friendship Year” was a betrayal, showing a “honeyed tongue, but a heart of gall” expression.

The city of Jinju in the province said it was canceling several planned exchanges with the city of Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, including a women’s marathon scheduled for March 20, a July exchange of civil servants, and an exchange of local government officials. Residents of Ulleungdo who commemorate October 25 as the “Ulleung-gun Residents’ Day” every year, decided to take the lead in protecting Dokdo after declaring October 25 as “Ulleung and Dokdo Island Day,” beginning this year.

There were nationwide protests calling for severing ties with Japan on Wednesday. Former "comfort women" and members of the Korea Chongshindae Council, Korea Freedom League, Pan-Citizen Alliance to Defend Dokdo, Citizens’ Alliance to Stop North Korean Nuclear Weapons and other civic groups staged a series of protests in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. A delegation of student presidents from 13 universities in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province also demonstrated in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan.

In a SYMBOLIC gesture, the ROK stated that visits to Tokdo were permitted. A group of National Assembly representatives were to visit the island to make a symbolic gesture.

Maritime Police guard Tokdo (16 Mar 2005)

As part of the SYMBOLIC announcement to allow visitors to Tokdo, the National Police Agency (NPA) announced that it was considering “repairing the Dokdo pier to allow the approach of a 500-ton ship in case average citizens are allowed to visit the islets.” The Dokdo pier was built in 1997 and underwent repair in 2003, but needs further construction to allow visitors on the islets. The NPA is also planning to repair the handrails along the pier’s passageways and build a shelter in preparation for bad weather conditions. In addition, the NPA decided to replace the garrison’s old .50-caliber heavy machine gun with the K-6 machine gun, a new model made in Korea, by this April. The NPA is reviewing plans to expand the Dokdo barracks to accommodate more guards than the current limit of about a platoon. It now seems probable that the head of Korea’s national security will pay a visit to Dokdo for the first time since NPA officers started guarding the islets in April 1956.

The U.S. is remaining neutral, with the embassy in Seoul saying in a press "U.S. policy on the Dokdo/Takeshima Island issue has been and continues to be that the United States does not take a position on either Korea's claim or Japan's claim to the island." It made the statement by way of denying local press reports that U.S. officials favored Japan's claim. In the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty, the US Congress made a caveat on the Treaty that if hostilities broke out over the Liancourt Rocks (Tokdo/Takeshima) among other disputes islands, the US would NOT come to the aid of Korea. (See pg 898 and pg 900 of the 1949 Comments of Sebald & McArthur on reconsideration of giving Liancourt Rocks to Japan.)

The Kyunghyang Shinmun on 14 Mar quoted an aide to Roh as saying President Roh Moo-hyun dubbed Japan's new claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as a "fresh act of aggression" which necessitates reconsideration of South Korea's traditional amicable relationship with Japan. The statement was supposedly made in a weekly meeting with senior presidential aides and secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae. Cheong Wa Dae on 17 Mar denied that report. "The report is not correct," Roh's deputy spokesman Kim Man-soo said, without elaborating. "We cannot confirm things that were discussed in a closed-door meeting."

As a footnote, a ROK state gas company stated that the Tokdo Waters were believed to have large amounts of gas hydrates. Thus the justification for defense is not simply emotional or fisheries claims but not potential resources. Again the operative word was "believed." A large quantity of semisolid gas is estimated to exist deep under the waters around Tokdo a state gas company said on 17 Mar.

As another footnote, government censorship has entered the picture. So much for Democracy. South Korea's Internet content regulator said on 17 Mar it was requiring Daum Communications Corp. to shut down five pro-Japanese Web sites following Japan's fresh claim to the South Korean islets of Tokdo. "Those sites have a possibility of harming youngsters' physical and mental health by distorting historical facts and undermining international friendship," the Information Communication Ethics Committee, affiliated with the Ministry of Information and Communication, said in a statement.

Tokdo Resources An article appeared in the Chosun Ilbo on 21 Mar 2005 that attempted to build up the case of the economic importance of Tokdo other than its fishery value.

Dokdo Islets a Treasure Trove of Resources

The row over the Dokdo Islets has highlighted the fact that the uninhabited rocks in the East Sea sit on a treasure trove of natural resources and assets.

For Ulleung Island residents living on fishing, the Dokdo islets are a livelihood in themselves, with some 60 percent of their catch coming from waters around Dokdo. The entire catch of Ulleung Island last year was 4,903 tons (worth W12.9 billion or US$12.9 million), of which 2,900 tons (W7.6 billion) were caught round Dokdo.

"Were we barred from fishing around Dokdo, we'd have no alternative but to seek another means of livelihood; we'd have to give up fishing or leave Ulleung Island," said Kim Jong-gil, 53, a fisherman on the island. The entire land of Dokdo would cost no more than W273 million at a price of W5,000 per pyeong (1 pyeong = 3.3 square meters). But Dokto has tremendous value beyond even the fishing. Some estimate the islets' value at tens and hundreds of trillion won. Not a few analysts say Japan covets them because of their boundless economic value.

Some 600 million tons of gas hydrate - natural gas condensed into semisolid form - are believed to be deposited along the broad seabed extending from Dokdo to Guryongpo, North Gyeongsang Province. Gas hydrate is a next-generation energy source that could translate into liquid natural gas if adequate technology is made available.

The 600 million tons of liquid natural gas this would produce are 30 times Korea's LNG imports last year. Converted into money, they are worth $150 billion (W150 trillion).

"Given that our LNG reliance accounts for 12 percent of our total demand for energy, the gas hydrate deposits constitute a tremendous energy source," said Bail Young-soon, of the LNG Technical Center at Korea Gas Corp. "Chances are high that another energy resource will be uncovered near Dokdo."

Dokdo also has resources of deep ocean water, which is more expensive than oil. Imported from Japan, it is sold at more than W8,000 (US$8.04) a liter. Located 200 meters under Dokdo, the deep ocean water is rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphor but free from microbes as the temperature is low and sunlight does not penetrate.

Countries around the world are trying to make food with deep ocean water, and the volume of its market is estimated at W2 trillion a year in Japan.

Dr. Kim Hyun-joo, a researcher at the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, said 90 percent of seawater in the East Sea was deep ocean water. Since the coastal areas near Dokdo slope more steeply than elsewhere, developing them would not be too expensive, he added.

Dokdo and neighboring areas abound with plankton and a variety of fish including cod and flatfish because there the North Korean Cold Current meets the Tsushima Warm Current. National Fisheries Research and Development Institute researcher Lee Dong-won said as a pair of volcanic islands Doko was ecologically valuable because it is home to diverse ecosystems from seaweed to shrimps and shells.

Dokdo is also important as an outpost for oceanic science. The government is planning to establish a base there and expects basic scientific data on wave height and ocean currents near the islets to help more accurate weather forecasts. It will also carry out research to maintaining the ecological balance of the islets, which are valuable because they are home to various finny tribes, 70 kinds of plants and natural monuments.

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Tokyo Replies In Kind Things at the end of March 2005 was getting ridiculous. Reuters on 28 Mar 2005 reported that the ROK is to appoint an "ambassador" to make an international case for its ownership of a group of tiny islands which are also claimed by Japan, Yonhap news agency reported Sunday. Quoting a ROK official at the UN, Yonhap said President Roh Moo-hyun had chosen the country's current UN representative for the new post of "Tokto ambassador." In response, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun on 28 Mar 2005 reported that Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said ROK middle school history textbooks distorted the truth about the Dokdo islets. In a commentary in its morning edition entitled "Historical Background to the Frictions", the paper said, "Korean state-sanctioned history books claim that Japan took the Dokdo Islets by force during the Russo-Japanese War, but Japan never exercised force in the matter, nor were there protests from Korea." This throws the "distorted history" remarks back at the Koreans. However, the official Japanese stance is one of calm deliberation to seek a summit between the two leaders. Again the DPRK came out to support the South's contention that Tokdo was historically Korean territory, but now the Chinese seem to be moving to support this position as the Japanese made plans to build a weather tracking station on some islets disputed between China and Japan.

The furor died down after Roh became "distracted" with other priorities -- scandals, failing economy, anti-American issues dealing with the relocation of forces out of Yongsan and off the DMZ, face-offs over cost-sharing with the Americans, farmer riots over the agricultural issues dealing with the WTO opening of the rice markets, Saemangeum Tidal Reclamation project challenges, Puan protests over the nuclear waste dump siting in the area, falling Uri Party popularity -- and Roh's popularity falling to all-time lows.

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2006 DISPUTE:

Photo Op: ROKAF F-15K Flys Over Tokdo (Jan 2006) In a photo op, ROKAF chief of staff, Kim Sung-il, flying the recently introduced F-15K fighter on 2 Jan led a formation flight over Tokdo. The aircraft took off from an air base (K2) in the southern city of Daegu at 4 p.m. and reached Dokdo islets in the East Sea about 20 minutes later. Kim led a squad of two F-15Ks and two F-16s and circled above the islets for several minutes, staying in communication with the Ulleungdo control unit and the Master Control and Report Center. Kim's flight was a symbolic gesture to inform Korea and the world that the Dokdo Islets belong to Korea.

F-15K fighter jet, regarded as one of the most powerful fighter jets in the world, can last around an hour in aerial combat whereas existing Korean fighter jets would last only five minutes over Dokdo, making the new jets eminently suitable to defend the outlying islets in the East Sea which Tokyo claims are Japanese territory. The message is that the F-15K is now considered operational in the defense of the country.


New Year's Greeting with F-15K

The next day, the Japanese government asked Korea through diplomatic channels to explain the sortie over Dokdo by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Sung-il at the controls of one of the newly introduced F-15K fighter jets. The Japanese Embassy in Seoul called the Foreign Ministry, and requested an explanation of the motive behind the sortie. The official said the call was not in the nature of a protest, but it is rare for a foreign government to ask why Korea's Air Force chief of staff piloted a jet. Seoul reportedly told the embassy the aim of Kim's flight was to mark the New Year, boost the morale of pilots and test the new F-15K jet himself.

Tokdo Standoff Ends with Compromise (April 2006) The annual "Tokdo Is Ours" festival started with the lead cheerleader Roh Moo-hyun stirring up the controversy. Last year Roh inflamed the situation to a point that a mother and son chopped their little fingers off and one man set himself on fire. Every Korean from the youngest school child to the oldest grandmother chanted in unison, "Tokdo is OURS." Politicians and government officials scrambled to have their picture taken on Tokdo. Marathon swimmers swam the 92 km to the island. Even drives to have people register as residents on the lifeless rock -- including reconstructing houses for them at public expense -- was started. The main point is that Roh did so to divert attention from his failing economy -- and now has blatantly used this patriotic fervor to stimulate backing for his flagging Uri Party in the upcoming May elections -- and the Mar resignation of his Prime Minister over a "golf scandal." Though the GNP at first attempted to stay out of the latest fray, they were finally drawn into supporting the "Tokdo is Ours" campaign that was rising after the Japanese announced they were going to survey the contested EEZ. (SITE NOTE: See Tokdo: Korea Net for background, but realize that the reference to Usando being the same as Tokdo on the website does NOT make sense as Usando is 8km from Uilengdo (main island), while Tokdo is 92km from Uilengdo. In addition, all the "proof" offered by the Koreans are suspect and under international law, the posession of the island was not settled after the end of WWII -- and the US specifically let the matter sit because of the conflicting claim by Syngman Rhee and the Japanese. In fact, the Mutual Defense Treaty with Korea is the one that states that the US will NOT automatically enter the fray to support Korea and must have Congressional approval. The reason is that the US position is that if Korea gets into a scrap over disputed islands and territory, it is on its own. As a matter of national honor, the Koreans in 1954 illegally seized the island and have held it by force with armed Maritime Police on the rock since that time. One Japanese activist was killed by mortar fire in 1954 attempting to land on the rock.)

The current spat occurred when Japan announced on 14 April, a plan to conduct maritime research in waters around Dokdo and notifies the International Hydrographic Organization of its plan. The South Korean government summons Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Shotaro Oshima to file an official protest against the planned survey. President Roh Moo-hyun labeled Japan's planned survey as "an offensive provocation" at a dinner with ruling and opposition party leaders at the presidential office and calls for a realignment of the country's "low-key" policy on the issue. A Japanese survey boat departed from Tokyo for Sakaiminata port in Tottori Prefecture, which was expected to serve as its home base during the ship's planned survey of the islets until the end of June. On 19 April, two Japanese survey boats set sail from Sakaiminata port, one at 3:30 p.m. and the other shortly after 5 p.m., putting the South Korean Coast Guard on high alert over a possible attempt to violate South Korean waters.

The waters surround a set of rocky outcroppings -- called Dokdo by Koreans and Takeshima in Japan -- that lie halfway between the countries and are claimed by both. The area is a rich fishing ground and is also believed to have methane hydrate deposits, a potential source of natural gas. The showdown highlighted the rising stakes of rival territorial claims in East Asia, and South Korea's deep-rooted bitterness over Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. In the latest "showdown" the ROK Coast Guard showed off with their gunboats and the posturing over the "affront" of the Japanese attempting to survey the EEZ that was supposedly agreed to by the ROK as a "joint fishing ground." Tokyo maintains the survey is needed to match South Korean efforts to map the sea floor and name underwater formations including basins and ridges. They had four rounds of negotiations on the issue from 1996 to 2000 with little progress. As a tentative alternative, they signed another agreement in 1998 to operate a joint fishing area near the islets.

Seoul had reportedly planned to try to register Korean names for several of the formations at an international ocean-mapping conference to be held in June in Germany. Among the proposals may be a request to change the name of the Sea of Japan, the international acceptance of which Seoul has long considered a colonial vestige. Seoul prefers the moniker East Sea for the body of water separating the countries. Yachi said Seoul agreed not to submit its name-change proposals at the conference.

According to the Mainichi Times on 22 Apr, "South Korea and Japan defused a tense, high-seas standoff Saturday with a compromise that sees Japan withdraw plans to survey disputed waters and South Korea delay efforts to register Korean names for underwater features in the area, officials said. Both countries agreed to hold more talks on demarcating their sea boundaries as early as next month, as part of a deal that wrapped two-straight days of negotiations amid concerns of a possible maritime confrontation."

Japanese Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi, made an emergency trip to the South Korean capital on 21 Apr to try to break the impasse triggered by Tokyo's plan to send survey ships into the disputed waters. South Korea had vehemently opposed the survey plans and dispatched 20 gunboats to the area, warning that a physical confrontation was possible if Japan proceeded. The talks on Friday were "severe" and "tense" according to Yachi, while South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said the two sides "failed to find common ground."

Public outrage has flared in South Korea, where protesters have burned Japanese flags and tried to storm Tokyo's embassy, which was surrounded by police in riot gear. A truck was parked on 22 Apr in front of the downtown hotel where the negotiations were being held, blaring patriotic songs. The vehicle was plastered with signs urging Koreans to boycott Japanese goods and claiming "Dokdo is our territory."

Communist North Korea -- which is technically still at war with rival South because the 1950-53 Korean War ended only in a cease fire -- suggested that the two Koreas offer a joint response to Japan's survey plan. Japan has maintained it has the right to conduct the survey under international law, but has kept its two unarmed survey ships out of the waters as both sides sought a diplomatic solution.

It was reported that the Japanese had started the process to take the matter to the World Court for litigation, however, there may be many obstacles ahead as the ROK does NOT want this matter to go before the World Court. It simply says that "Tokdo is Ours." But it does not provide a permanent tonic for the two sides' long-running territorial row. According to Yonhap News, Japan may push for another maritime survey in South Korean waters anytime after June 30. South Korea's attempt to register its own names for the underwater areas, if undertaken, will certainly face strong opposition from Japan as well. Tougher talks seem to lie ahead for the two nations.

On 25 April 2006, the Japan Today stated that South Korea demanded that Japan immediately drop its plan to conduct a maritime survey near a group of disputed islets in the Sea of Japan, while leaving the door open for bilateral negotiations if the plan is scrapped. "If Japan goes ahead with the survey in South Korea's exclusive economic zone, the government will sternly deal with the matter in accordance with international law and domestic laws," Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon said after a security policy meeting convened by President Roh Moo Hyun. "The Japanese government will be held responsible for any consequences that may arise from its actions," he told reporters. Roh convened the meeting of ministers in charge of foreign and security affairs in response to Japan's dispatch of two Japan Coast Guard vessels for the survey near waters of the South-Korean controlled islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, which also claims them.

The National Assembly also passed a resolution Wednesday, urging the government to take strong countermeasures that would prevent Japan from conducting the survey within South Korea's EEZ. The resolution, unanimously passed by 241 lawmakers in attendance, demands Japan immediately drop the survey plan.

In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said, "There is no problem in terms of international law in conducting a scientific maritime survey within our country's exclusive economic zone." Abe, the top government spokesman, repeatedly called for a "level-headed" response by both sides to the matter in accordance with international law, but also said Tokyo intends to go ahead with the planned survey. Bilateral relations have deteriorated since a Japanese local assembly in March 2005 approved an ordinance designating Feb 22 as "Takeshima Day" to press Japan's claims to the islets and the waters around them, which are rich in fisheries resources.

Go to TOKDO IS OURS!!! for continuation of the Tokdo Controversy

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