East Sea Showed Ridiculous And Sad Situation

The problem with the name of the East Sea shocked Koreans because it is a most serious problem next to Dokdo. Many people around the world have misunderstood that the Sea of Japan is right and East Sea is not. When you search for the word "East Sea" in the dictionary, Longman English Language and Culture, the meaning of the word was written as follows :

East Sea : the name used in Korea for the Sea of Japan, the sea that separates Korea from Japan.

I am sorry, but I do criticize the dictionary for false information even though the dictionary is a representative of accuracy.

First, you can see the history of the name of the Sea of Japan. In 1602, the name was first used in a map made by Matteo Ricci. And when the first edition of "Limits of Oceans & Seas" was released, Japan submitted the name to the IHO(International Hydrographic Organization) using the advantage of the time that Korea was under the rule of Japanese imperialism. Korea was also under the situation when the second edition was released and was in the middle of the Korean War when the third edition was released.

So the Korean government first brought the name East Sea before the UN meeting after Korea was seated in the United Nations.

The East Sea that you have known is a neutral name and it can be seen in historical records before the birth of Christ, and found on Chinese maps after the 12th century.

Of course, some people and the Japanese denied the name East Sea for the reason that it is not a neutral name. They said East Sea only makes sense to Koreans considering that it is located west of Japan.

However, the East Sea should not be banned for the reason that the IHO advised that if two more countries shared the land with different names, they could make a mutual agreement of the name and if they couldn't, the names should be used. So did the UN. But Japan ignored it and stressed their name only.

▲ International Standardization of Geographical Names(IHO),

Names of features beyond a single sovereignty(UN)

(Source : Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

Fortunately, a growing number of academics and experts are aware of the issue. At the IHO meeting in July, France and Australia suggested both names be used. The IHO also discussed the issue in 2009 and a final report will be written by 2011 and they will make a decision in 2012.

The information would not be right though many people have believed it. I won’t tell you to please spread this article but I want you to know this fact accurately because you can correct some people who have false facts.