Dokdo, sovereign island of Korea - 호사카유지교수님의 말씀

It

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wysu4c3kHBc&feature=related

I came across with this video about Dokdo Island on YoueTube the other day.  I watched the entire video and I translated for those people who don't understand Korean. I want to share what he says about Dokdo with others. I don't claim that my translation cover everything what he says on the video nor it is it perfect, but my hope is to enhance understanding about the island and the issues. 

Having mentioned that, here is:

My name is Hosaka Yuji. I lived in Korea more than 20 years, and I became a naturalized Korean citizen seven years ago. The World Cup held in Korea 2002 was a great success, and it was partly a motivating factor for me to become naturalized Korean citizen.

The reason that I am still keeping my original Japan name is because I haven't decided what Korean name due to a little complexity involved in choosing my last Korean name.  An officer at the ministry told me that it's perfectly O.K to keep the original name  until a good name is decided.  If you have any good suggestion for what my Korean name would be,  please let me know.

I started studying about Dokdo in 1998, so it has been more than 12 years. The motivating factor for studying about the island was result of my start of lectures about the relationship between the Korea and Japan in the university where I work.  At that time, students started asking me "What do you think of the Dokdo island?  Whom does it belong to?" To this question, I was baffled, I didn't know anything about the island.   At that time, majority of Japanese didn't know anything about the island.

However, the island came into most of Japanese consciousness since much disputes have been made in 2005.

I didn't know which country it belongs to, so I started studying about the island.  I studied related documents from both sides, Korea and Japan.  As a result of my studying, I found that there are too many documents that Japan is hiding from.  I have come to conclusion that the documents should become available for public to see. When these documents are available in public,  Japanese people would surely know that the island belongs to Korea.

I published a dissertation in 2002, and I became a naturalized Korean citizen in 2005.  The reason that I decided to naturalized is not because of Dokdo, but  I would say that it's God's will which led me to.  There was no particular reason.  I got my Master's and Doctorate in Politics and Foreign Affairs from the Korea University, and now I am teaching in Sejong University in Seoul.

 Because I studied of colonization of Korea,Taiwan and Manchuria by Imperial Japan, Dokdo issues had been major part of my studies.  So, if you can think of me with regards to where I am coming from with respect to Dokdo, that would be in the right way.

7:15

Dokdo is located 87.4 km away from Ulreung-Do. Contray to what most of people would guess, it is rather far away from Ulreung-Do. However, it is closer than the the closest island from Japan is from Oki island;  Dokdo is 157.5 km away from Oki, unable to see Dokdo at all.  So,  you can see Dokdo from Ulreong-Do in clear weather which is in average about 60 days per a year, but that is not possible at all for people living in Oki island. So from the ancient time, the Korean people who lived in Ulngdo used to seeing Dokdo as part of Silla, Koryo, Chosun; Korean kingdoms, from the ancient time.  The ancient people of Japan could not conceive like that.  The earliest time that the island came into Japanese was in mid 1600; they have come to seeing Dokdo.

Let me go over some basic facts about Dokdo:

The name of Dokdo is not that old, it came about in 1880. Prior to that it was called WooSanDo. The King  Kojong proclaimed it be changed from the name Dolsum (Rock island) as what the people living in the Ulrungdo used to call the island at that time.  Many people from Honam province moved to Ulungdo.   Nobody lived in the island for 400 years prior to that. After King Kojong found out that there were more than 250 Japanese were living there,  Kojong made them to move them back to Japan and had the people from Honam province to settle in Ulrungdo.  In the documents written in 1914, you could find the words "Dokdo."

Japanese around that time made a name for Dokdo for its own as "Takeshima," which translates to "bamboo island."  Historically, there has been a time when Japanese travelled to Ulrungdo. After the travel, Japanese found bamboo trees and brought over to Japan, and since then they called the Dokdo which is away from Ulongdo lumped together as Bamboo island. Even until 1880, their naming for both Ulrongdo and Doko was not present as different entities, but this started changed;  they started calling  Ulreong-Do as Songdo because they had been to Ulongdo for two hundred years.  Since they had no name for Dokdo, they started calling Dokdo in a foreign name as "Ranko Rocks" because they know that the island doesn't belong to them.  However, in 1905, after some 200 years Japanese had not used  the island name "Takeshima," as name of "Dokdo" was firmly settled in Korea,  Japanese started using the name "Takeshima" that had not been used.  These are the basic information that you need to know. So, when you see Japanese documents, the word "Takeshima" is not always referred to Dokdo.  The island was named in pretty much same time frame for both countries.

According to Japanese, Dokdo is their sovereign island territory originally;  they say that Dokdo has always been part of Japan historically.  However, when you actually see their historical documents, their claim is contrary to they say; there have been several evidences in their historical documents that they stated disenfranchisement of Dokdo. The documents was made by Japanese government disclaiming the ownership of Dokdo.  I came to know of these documents, and that's why I started to think that Dokdo is perhaps belongs to Korea and started wondering why Japan is trying so hard to hide the documents.  The problem is that these documents can not be easily deciphered, but they are translated by experts in Japanese and are now stored in Museum of Dotori.

In 17th century,  there have been number of times Japanese have travelled to Uleong-Do.  On the other hand, Chuson neglected making visits. During this time, Japan had travlled about 70 times. However, Japanese always told to Koreans living in Daema-Do that Ulreong-Do belongs to Korea. Taking this as a opportunity,  Japanese travelled.  During this time, Ahn Young Bok, taking 50 people, travelled to Ulreong-Do, and crashed with Japanese people, and he and one other person were abducted to Japan. In Japan,  Ahn claimed that the two islands, Ulreong-Do and Dokdo, belong to Choson and told to the government officials of Japan--this is written in Sookjong Shillrok.

22:01

When you look at the old Japanese documents written during Edo Makbu, as shown on the overhead projector, you would see that there are number of places where "Songdo" are mentioned,  which refers Dokdo in Japanese.  This documents states that Dokdo does not belong any provinces oft Japan and thus it does not belong to Japan at all --"DO NOT be concerned."  The dispute was OVER at this time, and this dispute led to conclusion that Dokdo is not part of Japan's territory. This document was discovered recently, which contradict their current claim, and that why generally Japanese scholars hardly mention that Dokdo belongs to Japan;  This was Japan's first denial for ownership of Dokdo.

The second time Japan denied its ownership of the island was in 1870.  The Maji government launched an investgation on the reason why Ulrongdo and Dokdo are part of Korean territory, and ordered an investigative report. The the resulting report as displayed on the overhead projector. It explained how the two islands came about Korean territory: both islands became part of Korean territory ever since the beginning.

More investigation came 7 years later. The reports say that the island belongs to Korea; however, the time has changed, so it's about time to make it part of Simana Prefacture.  The supreme organization dismissed their request and asked them not to be greedy, and stated that Dokdo has nothing to do with Japan.  This is added as one more document that is used as an evidence to prove that Dokdo is not part of Japan.  The name used to refer Dokdo is not original Japanese name, Songdo, some people argue that the document is not related to Dokdo matter, however, it comes with a map as a addendum that show the picture of the two islands.  The map shows and that's why it hard to claim. Scholars has been hiding this map since 1890.  The documents was discovered by Japanese minister from a church in Ganasawa.  The minister has made a big contribution.

The map clearly show two islands and states that the dispute was closed in Edo period.  The legistrature disapproved of making claims to be part of Japan's territory.  The documents gives disadvantages to Japan claiming the ownership of the island.

Japan has clearly mentioned three times disclaiming the ownership of Dokdo. And that's why Japanese politicians can not answer well when they arer questioned about the documents. The politicans keep on saying that "It's under investigation." Even after they were asked 10, 20 years later, they still answered, "It's still under investigation."  They kept saying like that even if they are asked 100 years later. Nowadays in Korea, when someone- who committed wrongdoing- is intorrogated in a court, they would say "I can't remember."  This answering scheme was actually originated in Japan by Sectrary Danaka when he was introgated for his involvement in bribary with Rocketheed.   This is a great answer to avoid one's responsibility and accountability.

So, in 1905, disregarding the order of Taejongkwan, Japan took the approach making Dokdo officially listed in their map.   In 2006, a new organizaiton was founded in Korea, that relate to Dokdo issue.

25:23

An Young Duk went to Japan 2nd time. He stepped into Oki island first. There, Ahn was asked, and this document is a record of what he was interrogated. The document was discovered in 2005. This has been kept by the descendant of the person who interrogted Ahn Young Bok.  Ahn Young Bok knew how to speak Japanese, so he went to Japan to let Japanese know that Dokdo is part of Korean territory, specifically as part of Kangwon Do Providence. The officials of Oki recorded as Ahn statted and reported to Edo government officials. The clear evidences are provided to us in the form of documents that has been unsurfaced as a result of conscious Japanese's will.

Also,  various Korean government published books claim that Dokdo is part of Korean territory.  The documents states that the islands called by Japanese as " " is Korean terrtory to avoid confusion in the future.

1990, Kojong assigned   There is a "Jukdo"  5 years earlier, Korea proclaimed that three islands near Ulrongdo in the official map of Korea.

In 1905, when Japan included the islands on their map.  The island called Dokdo as no name because they claimed that it's not Japanese island. They confessed that the islands do not belong to Japan, that's was Japan's greatest mistake.

Japanese say that in 1906, the islands are listed in Japanese map, so according to international law, Korea never protested against. However, Korea would say that because the Korea was under the occupation of Japan, Korea could not protest.  Four years prior to the start of annaxation, why didn't Korea protest?  Under the circumstances, when you look at the freedom of movement, you would see that there was little freedom to speak out.  Kojong sent a secrete agents to protest.  The invasion of Japanese imperialists did not start of 1910.  You are not supposed to think that as a beginning, but rather as completion of their mission to overtake Korea.

1945.  The San Francisco treaty. The treaty was made after Japan lost war and retreated from Korean peninsula.  AS the treaty was made, the Dokdo was included 5 times, but it was omitted in the final draft. The importance of San Francisco reaty.  Japan was under surjoune under the allied forces.  However,  Korea was not able to be protest.   Due to the lobbyest of Japanese,  on the 6th draft, it was listed as part of Japanese territory.  On the subsequent drafts, Brintian protested that Dokdo is drafted as part of Japan, and consensus of three western allies excluding the U.S. it was reverted back to part of Korea.  Then, it got changed to Japan in the next draft.  The U.S. listened to Japan only.  Britian got upset and Britian drafted their own version since it has been tossed around from draft to draft.  Eventually, the final draft ended of being not listed in neither Korea and nor Japan's territory; however, the agreement of allied force's ruling that Dokdo is part of Korea could not disregared.  The U.S. could not protest to the allied force.  It would be good for Korea had the progression ended here.  Korea asked the U.S to be part of Korea territory to the U.S. As a result, the Korean government sent a delegate, and the U.S. asked, but the Yang Yuk Suk didn't know anything and could not provide evidences to convence that Dokdo is part of Korea.  The Parakdo is where, asked?  And thus, the U.S. called to the Korean government asking the same question, but the officials answered the same. The only arguement was that the Korea at that time was having a war.

Japan wanted to make part of Japan.  There can be a great anit-American sentiment had the island is made to be part of Japan.  The U.S. government.  That's why Dokdo is not listed in the World's map as Korean territory.  Korean says that there is no room for dispute, but the matter is something that we should strive and overcome.  The letter that was sent to the Korea, it claims that the the U.S. has confirmed that Dokdo was once part of Korean kingdom.  ON the reply, but at the time, we reported to Korea and we are not willing to  share the contents with other contry. The letter is not based on the  agreement of allied-force.  The U.S. did not sent the letter to Japan. Why the U.S. did not reveal the document.  If they are revealed, there will be chaos from the allied-force.  We, the U.S., will removed itself from the discussion of Dokdo issue.  Since 1950, the consensu was that allied-force is deciding party, not the U.S.

The last speech is void of historical . The Lask statement states that if Korea can provide evidences to prove that Dokdo is belong to Korea.

Australia should play an important role.  REcently, I explained to them that.  I also gave lectures to the people from Europe, and they say that what is important is agreement was made in Sanfransico treaty.

My last slide is showing a picture of Dokdo on the side of facing Japan. The grass growing has a shape of Korean peninsula as if it says that Dokdo belongs to Korea.