Korean Society Still Has The Gender Discrimination

Recently, we can feel that the era of women power is now approaching because of the issues that some women presidents appeared for the first time. Last year, the first Korean woman general got into the news. So did the woman president in a drama, "Dae-mul.". Like this, women's position is different from before.

▲ Dilma Vana Rousseff(the first woman President of Brazil)

Ms. Song(the first Korean woman general)

Ms. Seo(the first woman President of Korea in the drama, "Dae-mul")

However, there are some places that they didn't accept the current of the times yet. That is the legal profession, Ms. Cheon is the only woman justice of the Supreme Court. Naturally, there is one more woman justice of the Supreme Court whose name was Ms. Kim. (Now, she became the National Rights and Interests Chairperson.) Also, Constitutional Court was more serious because there was no woman justice. When you compared the US Supreme Court with Korea Supreme Court, you can feel Korea still has male-oriented social structure because three of nine justices of Supreme Court are women in United States.

As I said in the last article, when you see the US women soldiers, you can feel that the gender discrimination will be meaningless. The field of war had been considered as men's roles. But when you see the U.S. military service, the proportion of women having experience fighting in wars is increasing. Today, the women soldiers account for sixteen percent of the total enrollment and are getting high ranking. Also, they did well enough in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to men.

But when I searched the article below, there was little sexual equality in Korea.

The level of the Korean women's economic opportunity was the 35th place in 113 countries.

(An omission of a middle part)

In the result, the level of the Korean women's legal and social position was the 66th, a labor policy was the 53rd, a custom of labor relations was the 25th, financial accessibility was the 21st, education was the 33rd and business environment was the 39th place in 113 countries. The discrimination in the workplace, especially, was the worst, which was the 104th place.

- Korean women's discrimination in the workplace was the 104th place in the world, Hankyoreh News(2010. 7. 16)

This situation showed that we still have wrong thoughts, and women might be weak and inferior compared to men. I feel that the era of woman is far from us. When I saw that the media introduced the first OOO woman, I thought that there was still gender discrimination rather than now that the era of sexual equality has come. When is the time that we can live without the word, "Discrimination"?

Written by Yoon Jeongwon

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.

It Is The Fact That Dokdo Is The Korean Land

One hundred years have passed since the Korean national power was disseized by Japanese. Japan released the Prime Minister's talk as apologizing the event. Although it Japan has already caused a lot of grief to Korean for a long time, it is still trying to take something away from us, and it is Dokdo.

I have grown not only singing the song, "Dokdo Is Our Land" but also hearing the slip of the tongue,  "Dakesima is the Japanese land."(Dakesima is the Japanese method of expression of Dokdo.) This statement is always being said every year, now we respond like "again?!" with annoyance. However, if someone would ask you that "Why is Dokdo Korean land?", are you sure to make yourself clear?

Dokdo is Korean territory, which is attested by history. Dokdo belonged to "Usanguk" during the Three Kingdom Period, and was referred to as "Usando" during the Joseon Dynasy, when the island was also known as 'Jasando', 'Gajido' or 'Sambongdo.' The 17th century, Ahn Yong-bok insisted that Dokdo was Joseon's territory against the fact that Japan captured the fishing people who were in Dokdo. And Imperial Ordinance No.41, issued in 1900 by the imperial government of Korea, the Great Han Empire, placed Dokdo under the jurisdiction of the Ulleungdo County office. After the era of the colony, once the Republic of Korea was founded in 1948, it inherited jurisdiction over Dokdo from the Us Army Military Government and placed it under Gyeongsangbukdo Province. At that time, neither Allied Powers nor Japan demur to this jurisdiction over Dokdo, and this attested our dominium of Dokdo.

When I saw the far-fetched interpretation of Japan, I was at a loss for words. Because they denied their history which attested that Dokdo is Korean territory. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the Japanese government officially recognized Korean sovereignty over Dokdo by issuing the documents that one was the Chosenkoku Kosaishimatsu Naitansho of 1870 and the other was issued by the Japanese Council of state in 1877. Even, in 1904, they asked for the loan of Dokdo for monopolizing fishing sea lions. These events demonstrated that Japan recognized Dokdo was Korean territory.

However, as using their vantage ground, Japan incorporated Dokdo into their land. The Dynasty of Joseon knew the fact but they couldn't take any measures because Joseon was a colony of Japan and was deprived of their right of diplomacy. The San Francisco Peace Treaty set it down in the draft, from 1st to 5th, that Dokdo is the Korean territory but it is dispersed by the Japanese government's strong lobbyism and weak diplomacy of Korean government, a nascent public, so that Dokdo was not included in renunciation of territory in Japan after the war. But the claim that Dokdo is Japanese territory through the event, it is the arbitrary interpretation.

Currently, Japan insisted that the Republic of Korea occupied Dokdo with army and should solve the problem according to the international law. However, there are lots of historic documents proves that Dokdo is a Korean territory. We can't find any evidence and rationality about Japanese claim, which is not the object of international adjudication. Nevertheless, Japan is always insisting Dokdo is their territory. They advertised it to the citizens that if they got the dominium of Dakesima, they would get lots of advantages. Also they made the day of Dakesima, straightened publicity activities with so many efforts.

Of course, Korea is not just watching this situation. Many NGOs like VANK and government made publicity pamphlet, had a publicity activities, and so on. It would be done that additional efforts as teaching the subject related to Dokdo, making the book about Dokdo, and setting questions about Dokdo in Korean history test in next year. However, not only the government and NGOs but also citizens should participate in these activities. You don't have to set the world on fire. Accurate recognition of our history and patriotism is enough, and that is the best way that we can do.

Written by Yoon Jeongwon