Dogdo /Takeshima
Liancourt Rocks dispute
The Liancourt Rocks dispute is a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan. Both countries[1][2][3][4] claim sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks, a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan[5] which are referred to as "Dokdo" (Korean: 독도; Hanja: 獨島) in Korean and "Takeshima" (竹島) in Japanese. North Korea also claims sovereignty of the islands.[6]
The Liancourt Rocks have been administered by South Korea since 1952 by the Korea Coast Guard.[7] This action was taken after the United States stated in the Rusk documents that the Japanese claim to the Liancourt Rocks would not be renounced in Japan's post-World-War-II peace treaty. In 1954, Japan proposed a reference to the International Court of Justice, which South Korea rejected, believing that the Liancourt Rocks are irrefutably South Korean territories, and thus should not be dealt through diplomatic negotiations or judicial settlement between South Korea and Japan.[8]
There are conflicting interpretations about the historical state of sovereignty over the islets. Korean claims are partly based on references to a Korean island called Usan-do in various historical records, maps and encyclopedias such as the Samguk Sagi, Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam (Korean: 동국여지승람; Hanja: 東國輿地勝覧), and Dongguk munheon bigo (Korean: 동국문헌비고; Hanja: 東國文獻備考). According to the Korean view, these refer to today's Liancourt Rocks, while the Japanese researchers of these documents have stated that the various references to Usan-do refer at different times to Jukdo, its neighboring island Ulleungdo, or a non-existent island between Ulleungdo and Korea.[9]
Researchers disagree on who first had administrative control over the islets due to ambiguities in early historical records and maps, partly due to changes in the names of the islands in the area over the years.
Contents
- 1 History
- 1.1 The Three Kingdoms period
- 1.2 Joseon and Edo period
- 1.3 1677 report
- 1.4 1695 inquiry into Ulleungdo
- 1.5 1696 Murakami Document
- 1.6 1697 Korean court's decision to disregard Tsushima's request of a formal letter for Edo
- 1.7 1785 Map of Three Adjoining Countries
- 1.8 1808 Usando, Ulleungdo, and Matsushima claimed to be the same island
- 1.9 19th-century maps
- 1.10 1877 Daijō-kan order to exclude Takeshima (Ulleungdo) and another island from Japanese National Land Registry
- 1.11 1900 Korean Imperial Decree No. 41 separates Uldo Archipelago from Uljin County
- 1.12 1904 Japan–Korea treaty
- 1.13 1905 Japanese incorporation of Liancourt Rocks
- 1.14 1920 Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile
- 1.15 Post World War II era
- 1.15.1 Early Japanese efforts to claim Liancourt Rocks and Ulleung Island
- 1.15.2 Early Korean efforts to claim Liancourt Rocks as an appendage or dependency to Ulleung Island
- 1.15.3 First US bombing incident over Liancourt Rocks
- 1.15.4 Classified US communication to South Korean government
- 1.15.5 South Korea announces state intention to resume administration
- 1.15.6 Japanese MOFA acknowledges intention behind bombing range designation
- 1.15.7 Second US bombing incident over Liancourt Rocks raises doubts
- 1.15.8 US role in Japan's sovereignty over Liancourt Rocks
- 1.15.9 Proposal to settle before ICJ rejected
- 1.15.10 Sebald predicts negative outcome in Japan's bid for UNSC action, but advises legal counsel
- 1.15.11 South Korea's crackdown on Japanese fishermen and fishing vessels
- 1.16 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations
- 1.17 Recent conflict
- 1.18 North Korea's attitude toward the Liancourt Rocks dispute
- 2 See also
- 3 References
- 4 Further reading
- 5 External links