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Sadong Harbor on Ulleungdo Island, where build a navy pier, a coast guard pier, and a passenger ship pier are being built. (provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)

The island of Dokdo doesn’t make it easy for would-be visitors. An hour and a half after our ship set out from Sadong Habor on Ulleungdo Island (Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang Province) en route to Dokdo, we had to turn around. The captain made the call after we were pummeled by big waves. We hadn’t even covered half the distance (87.4km) from Ulleungdo to Dokdo.

“Before you can set foot on Dokdo, three generations of your family need to have saved up some serious karma,” said Kim Yeong-ho, public relations officer for Ulleung County and a native of Ulleungdo Island. On Oct. 23, just two days before Dokdo Day (Oct. 25), the seas around Dokdo were rough, lashed by high waves.

With our dreams of landing on Dokdo dashed, the ship returned to port. Sadong Harbor is currently in the midst of a major construction project. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries are spending 278.7 billion won (US$237.56 million) to build a pier for the navy (400m), a pier for the coast guard (175m), a pier for passenger ships (305m), and a seawall (1160m).

These measures are designed to permanently base naval vessels and coast guard patrol boats at Ulleungdo, the nearest island to Dokdo, in order to bolster South Korea’s effective territorial control over Dokdo. When construction ends in 2020, Sadong Harbor will serve as the first line of defense for Korea’s territorial sovereignty in the area. Naval or coast guard ships docked at Sadong Harbor can reach Dokdo within two hours and 20 minutes — about half the time it currently takes for ships at Uljin Harbor in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province.

Sadong Harbor will also be the site of Ulleung Airport. The planned airport is slated to have a runway that’s 30m wide and 1,200m long, capable of accommodating six aircraft with a 60-person passenger complement. The runway will be built by filling in the water beyond the harbor’s eastern breakwater. That project alone will cost 663.3 billion won (US$565.25 million).

When Ulleung Airport opens in 2025, it will shorten a trip from Seoul to Ulleungdo from the current six or seven hours down to one. That will greatly improve access not only to Ulleungdo but also to Dokdo. Kim Byeong-su, mayor of Ulleung County, was evidently excited about these developments. “Improving access will increase national interest in Dokdo and bring in more visitors, which should give the local economy a boost,” Kim said.

A South Korean destroyer docked at Sadong Harbor. (Lee Jung-ha)

Some of the sites on Ulleungdo are the Ulleungdo and Dokdo Maritime Research Base (opened in January 2014), a front-line installation with the mission of defending territorial sovereignty in the waters around Dokdo; Dokdo Museum (opened in 1995), the only museum in the country focused on territorial issues; and the Ulleung Water and Land History Museum (opened in 2017). Located in Hyeonpo Village, Buk Township, the research base is responsible for maritime studies about the two islands, conservation research, and monitoring changes in ecosystems, while the Dokdo Museum displays historical artifacts that back up Korea’s claim to Dokdo as its sovereign territory.

A plan for of Ulleung Airport and its runway. (provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)

Ulleungdo as watch post for Dokdo
“Dokdo is a place that the people of Ulleungdo have been watching over for mo

re than 1,500 years. Since Ulleungdo is on the front lines of defending territorial sovereignty over Dokdo, it’s important that the government and public take an interest in that,” stressed Kim Nam-il, head of the East Sea Regional Office.

“Once the 20-ton Dokdo research and survey ship that’s currently being built goes into service, we’ll be able to carry out more diverse studies about the maritime ecosystem at Dokdo. That will be a big help in reinforcing maritime sovereignty,” said Lim Jang-geun, director of the Ulleungdo and Dokdo Maritime Research Base.

While efforts to increase effective control over Dokdo are continuing, the government still hasn’t set aside an official day for the island. Dokdo Day commemorates Emperor Gojong’s declaration that the island is associated with Ulleungdo in his 41st royal decree on Oct. 25, 1900, but it doesn’t have official government recognition. The day was named in the 2000s by the Dokdo Defenders, an NGO composed of residents of Ulleung County, among other areas. A bill that would have given Dokdo Day official status was submitted to the National Assembly in 2008, but it didn’t become law.

By Lee Jung-ha, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]