The Territorial Dispute over Dokdo Essay Example for Free

The Territorial Dispute over Dokdo Essay Dokdo is also recognized as the Liancourt Rocks. It consists of two tiny rocky islets, which are encircled by 33 smaller rocks. The Dokdo islets are situated around 215 kilometers off the eastern border of Korea. The two Islets that make up Dokdo are known as Suhdo and Dongdo. The estimated entire surface area covered by Dokdo is 0. 186 square kilometers. Both rocks that make Dokdo, actually are the remains of a prehistoric volcanic hollow and are a asylum for Petrels and black-tailed gulls and more than a few partially prevalent plants. The Liancourt Rocks is known as Tokto in Korea and it is known as Takeshima in Japan. Sovereignty over the isles is contested between Japan and South Korea. South Korea has commanded Dokdo since July 1954. Both the Korean and Japanese names have altered from time to time. Both of the countries claim an extensive historical and geographical connection with the isles. With this claim, the question that emerges is that why it is so important that both the countries are fighting for the small islets. The name given to the Dokdo, i. e. Liancourt Rocks has come from the French whaling ship Liancourt, which represented the islets in 1849. The rationale behind this fighting is that both the countries have several concerns regarding the Dokdo’s surrounding waters and seabed including areas that may embrace some 600 million tons of natural gas. This gas hydrate can become the next period’s energy origin. In addition, seafood is also the imperative resource for both the countries. The Korean Japanese Claims Koreans claim that Dokdo is an constitutional dominion of Korea as it has been a part of Korean territory since 512 A. D. The first Japanese had written a record on Dokdo and the Records on observations in Onshu have been published in 1667, which admit the fact that Koreans have right over Dokdo. The Japanese declare that they had held Dokdo in the Japanese Empire in 1905. This act of Japanese was opposed by Koreans as they said that Japanese are taking advantage of Koreas political weakness vis-a-vis. Koreans rightfully argue for the Dokdo as at the time when Japan declared that they were containing Dokdo into their empire, Korea was not able to effectively protest the Japanese action because Japan had previously taken charge of the foreign matters of Korea by means of the Protectorate Treaty of 1905, which is also known as the Eulsa Treaty or the Second Japan-Korea Agreement. The confirmation of the treaty itself had been impelled on Korea by the Japanese commission, which shows that Japanese were wrong in their claim to Dokdo. All the history of Dokdo and both the countries’ claims represents the Korean side and also points out that the Japanese did not notify the Korean Government of their claim until 1906. In 1906, Korean officials at both confined and nationwide levels recognized the facts and documented the Japanese action as an encroachment of Korean sovereignty. On the other hand, due to the loss of their nation’s freedom and foreign matters potentiality, no action was taken by them. In 1947, the Japanese Foreign Ministry mentioned the U. S. occupation authorities regarding Japan’s assert to reign over both Ullung and Dokdo Island. Since then, throughout the peace treaty negotiations, Japan desired to decide U. S. notion pertaining to the island. The Japanese ministers refused Korea’s ownership on the bases that there was no existence of the Korean name on the island, which is quite wrong. Japanese also tried to regain the Dokdo during the negotiations of the peace treaty, but they were failed. Dokdo’s sovereignty was not decided by the peace treaty due to the weaknesses of the president of the Republic of Korea, who did not efficiently concentrated his government’s attending on the ownership of Dokdo over Korea’s territorial pertains. Government of Korea never daunted to allow for a scholarly study of the Korean historical record on Dokdo and due to this, it had faced an unresolved dispute from Japanese, whereas Japanese had undertaken an extensive study on the history of the island to which Japan had used as the basis for its claim regarding its sovereignty over Dokdo. Due to all these weaknesses of Korea, they are not able to prove records in their favor, but all these things do not matter as the truth is this that the Dokdo ownership truly lies in the hands of Koreans. References Dokdo History. (2007). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://english. dokdohistory. com/dokdo-history/dokdo-administrative-district. html Dokdo or Takeshima. (2009, February). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. boston. com/bigpicture/2009/02/dokdo_or_takeshima. html The Territorial Dispute over Dokdo. (2008). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. junanworld. pe. kr/595 Lovmo, M. S. The Territorial Dispute over Dokdo. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. geocities. com/mlovmo/page4. html A Brief Background of Dokdo Takeshima Island. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. dokdo-takeshima.com/ Dokdo: The Territorial Dispute between Japan and South Korea. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. pages. drexel. edu/~tm76/politics. doc Dokdo East Sea. (2009). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. korea. net/issues/issue_dokdo_eastsea. asp? from=dokdo_eastsea The Far East of the Korean Territory. (2004). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. dokdocorea. com/ The History of Dokdo. (2007). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. dokdocorea. com/report/history_dokdo. pdf Dokdo in the East Sea of Korea. (2005). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.indymedia. org. uk/en/regions/london/2005/03/307419. html Disputes over Ullungdo and Tokdo at the End of the 17th Century. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www2. gol. com/users/hsmr/Content/East%20Asia/Korea/Dokto_Island/History/Shin_Yong-ha_3. html Japans Unfounded Territorial Claims about Dokdo Dispute. (2007). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://english. dokdohistory. com/dokdo-history/dokdo-dispute. html Weinstein, M. (2006, May). South Korea-Japan Dokdo/Takeshima Dispute: Toward Confrontation. Japan Focus. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://japanfocus.