Dokdo & Storytelling

Japanese government always has claimed Dokdo as their sovereign territory (No offense to my Japanese friends). When you open your textbook, you can see that the ocean between Korea and Japan is named as “The Sea of Japan,” not “East Sea.” Even though “East Sea” had been used more than 2000 years in history and “The Sea of Japan” had been referred to eastern side of Japan, Japanese government (Actually, the imperialistic Japanese government in the 1940s) named “East Sea” as “Sea of Japan” without any discussion with Korea or other regional countries.

Well, some people may argue that “It is just the name of the sea. Who cares?” However, the “Sea of Japan” problem is not just a name game, but it is a process of revealing the truth and the history behind it. Since you have knowledge about Chinese history, I would like to make an example from it (Of course, I understand that there is no if in history - but the case is just an example). If Japan claims that Manchuria is the sovereign territory of Japan since the Japanese empire has ruled in Manchuria in the 1940s, how would you react? If Japan further claims that Japan has never returned the Manchuria and explains every document are fabricated by the Chinese government? How would you respond? I am pretty sure that you will be upset and many people are living in the Northern part of China, and all the people in China will condemn Japan for their ignorance in history and their wrongness during the 1940s.
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That’s how we feel about the East Sea and Dokdo. As Manchuria was returned to China, Dokdo was returned to Korea. As China has ruled the Northern part of China, Korea has been the only sovereign country controlling Dokdo. Therefore, when Japan claims that Dokdo is their own territory, we cannot stand from blaming the Japanese government for their falsely fabricated claim.

Hope my letter helped you to have a better understanding of the issue and allowed you to have a moment to feel empathy.