New photographic evidence could support Korea’s claim to Dokdo

Posted on : 2008-07-21 13:50 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Photos ‘suggest a scientific basis for our claim that can be acknowledged by the int’l community,’ research director says
 taken from neighboring Ulleungdo on November 2
taken from neighboring Ulleungdo on November 2

When Japan claimed that the Dokdo islets could not be Korean territory, one of the reasons it gave was that the islets could not be seen with the naked eye from Korea, suggesting that Korea could not have known about them as claimed, despite the existence of historical records dating to the 15th century. But new photographic evidence produced by the International Institute for Korean Studies in Japan could prove otherwise.

The institute revealed two photos of Dokdo on July 20 that it says were taken from Ulleungdo under conditions that mimic human observation with the naked eye. The institute has been taking photos of the islets under these conditions for the past six months.

There also have been photos of Dokdo taken from Ulleungdo but the pictures could not be offered as evidence to refute the Japanese claim due to allegations that the photos had been fabricated.

If it is proven that Dokdo can be seen from Ulleungdo, it could provide important scientific evidence to support Korea’s claim to the islets, which is recorded in a book written during the King Sejong era and other historical documents.

Both domestic and international experts have noted that the Treaty of San Francisco, which forced Japan to relinquish territories under its control at the end of World War II, directs Japan to abandon Ulleungdo. As Dokdo is affiliated with Ulleungdo, it is a territory Japan must also abandon, the experts say.

The late Genzo Kawakami, a former Japanese Foreign Ministry official, argued that Dokdo cannot be observed from Ulleungdo with the naked eye. He maintained that Koreans only became aware of the existence of Dokdo after 1904, when the Japanese hired Koreans to fish in waters near Ulleungdo.

Choi Seo-myeon, the director of the International Institute for Korean Studies in Japan, said, “We need factual information in order to refute Japan’s unfounded claim to Dokdo. The Japanese Foreign Ministry uses Kawakami’s theory as a basis for its claim to Dokdo. If we verify that the theory is wrong based on facts, Japan’s territorial claim will lose ground. We need to find solid evidence that even Japan cannot deny. These photos suggest a scientific basis for our claim that can be acknowledged by the international community.”

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