Dokdo or Takeshima?

Dokdo Island (독도) is a Korean outcropping called the Liancourt Rocks by a French whaling ship in 1849 and Takeshima in Japanese, some of whom believe the island should belong to Japan. The nearest land mass is Korea’s Ulleungdo Island, 87.4 km away. The islets are visible from Ulleungdo. The nearest Japanese territory, the Oki Islands, are 157.5 km away. Dokdo is never visible from Japan’s Oki Islands. The total area of land on the islets is about 187,450 square meters, with the highest point being 169 meters. The western islet is about 88,640 square meters in area; the eastern islet about 73,300 square meters.

The Cairo Conference in November and December 1943 was one of the two meetings between Allied leaders held in Cairo during World War II. At the first Cairo Conference, Nov. 22 to 26, 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt discussed plans for the execution of the Normandy landing. With Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, they issued a declaration of the goal of stripping Japan of all the territories it had seized since 1914 and restoring Korea to independence. In spite of this declaration, Japan is trying to distort the truth, which is known to everyone, that Dokdo Island has been and continues to be Korean.

There is a lot of evidence that the island is a Korean island and not Japanese. Here are some of the official sites of the Korean government, which emphasizes the credible claim.

In the first link, you can choose one of the following languages: Arabic, English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, Russian and Korean.

http://dokdo.mofa.go.kr/eng/

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264142

Here you can see an amazing video about Dokdo Island.

Here's how to visit Dokdo Island during your visit to Korea.

To get to Dokdo, you must first get to Ulleungdo. You can get a train from Seoul Station to Pohong Station. It will take 2 hours, 30 minutes. Then take a taxi to Pohang Port. That will take 9 minutes. There, you can take a ferry to Ulleungdo. It'll take about 3 hours. After you arrive on Ulleungdo, you can take another boat to Dokdo. It will take 1 hour, 40 minutes. The approximate total cost will be KRW 55,000, around USD 50. The island is tiny, and you can access everything by foot. You can see all the sites in less than 20 minutes. You will enjoy the stunning views during your trip.

The noblest lesson I learned from my visit to Korea is loyalty to my country and not to give away any inch of territory. That's what elders teach the young in Korea. They teach patriotism. I met a group of Korean students dressed in Hanbok. They asked me about Dokdo Island, whether it was Korean or Japanese. I voted for Korea. I'm one of those who believe that Dokdo Island is a Korean island. I was very impressed with this situation. 

By Salwa Elzeny

Korea.net Honorary reporter

Photos: Korea.net Flickr, Salwa Elzeny, National Geographic Information Institute
Video: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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