Dokdo, unequivocally Korean

Geographically, Dokdo is located 87.4 km from Ulleungdo (Korea) but 157.5km from the Oki Islands (Japan). Dokdo is visible to the naked eye from Ulleungdo, but not from the Oki Islands.


[Map of Dokdo’s surrounding areas]

[View of Dokdo from Ulleungdo]

Historically, Korea has been aware of Dokdo’s existence since the 6th century. Japan, on the other hand, had not known about Dokdo until the 17th century. There are also a number of Japanese historical records and old maps in which Japan itself acknowledges that Dokdo is not its territory.

[Daijō-kan Order]
[Mangi Yoram]

From the standpoint of international law, the Korean Empire legally proclaimed Dokdo as its territory, stipulating in its Imperial Decree No. 41 (1900) that Dokdo is under the jurisdiction of Ulleungdo. Japan’s Shiname Prefecture later illegally incorporated Dokdo into its territory by issuing Notice No. 40 (1905).


[Korean Imperial Decree No. 41]

[scapin677]

“East Sea” is a geographical designation used by Koreans for over 2,000 years. Unfortunately, however, the use of “Sea of Japan” became widespread in the international community starting in and around the Japanese colonial period, and this erroneous usage persists to date. That is why we are trying to reclaim the correct geographical name “East Sea” for the waters of Dokdo.


[Samguk Sagi]
[Gwanggaeto Stele]

Unequivocally, Dokdo in the East Sea is the rightful territory of the Republic of Korea, geographically, historically, and from the standpoint of international law.