Wed, 27 Oct 2004
Simultaneous use of "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan"
Cooperation Request from the Korean Overseas Information Service
Dear Sir or Madam,
First of all we are honored to introduce ourselves to you.
We are Korea.net Team in the Korean Overseas Information Service correcting Korea-related errors in overseas websites.
We appreciate your interest in Korea and enjoyed visiting your website.
However, we found an error in your website that is related to Korea.
May we bring your attention to the page of South Korea on
www.kokhavivpublications.com/help/maps/country?Korea_South.
The map of South Korea above carries the disputed name, "Sea of Japan", to designate the sea between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago.
KOIS is well aware that the map is from CIA Factbook and that it provides relevant information sources.
However we like to inform you that the correction of using "East Sea" on the map of South Korea is under the process in CIA Factbook and before the correction is made, here are some websites that show South Korea's map with East Sea.
- Wikipedia
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea
- Korea.net
- www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=A0101
- Expedia
- www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll
- Tripadvisor
- www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g294196-South_Korea-Vacations.html
- Canada Foreign Affairs
- www.voyage.gc.ca/images/az/maps/153000_big.gif
- Korean embassy in USA
- www.koreaemb.org/archive/2004/5_1/culture/culture0.asp
- National Geographic
- iexplore.nationalgeographic.com/dmap/South+Korea/Overview
- news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/01/maps2_2001-01-25.html
- www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/updates/seaofjapan.html
- USA Today
- www.usatoday.travel-guides.com/MiniGuides/Country.jsp?General Information=on&Public Holidays=on&Social Profile=on&Map=on&CreateMiniGuide=Create+Mini+Guide&Region=null&Country=kor
- Economist
- www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=S%27%29H8%2DQ1%3B%24%23P%23L%0A
- MSN Encarta
- encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/mapcenter/map.aspx?refid=701516652
- University of Washington
- flux.ocean.washington.edu./japan-sea/index.html
As you well know, the name has long been a controversial matter to both Korea and Japan.
As for Japan, the "Sea of Japan" is legitimate because it has been used as an official name since its first adoption contained in the "Limits of Oceans and Seas," which was published by the decision of the 1929 Monaco Conference of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
On the other hand, the Korean people have never accepted this misnomer, because the decision of the Monaco Conference was unfair to Korea, which then could not attend the conference and make its own voice--Korea was under the Japanese colonial rule between 1910-1945. Therefore, since its liberation in 1945, the Republic of Korea has made consistent efforts to restore the appropriate name for the sea area in question.
Until now, a number of Korean scholars, civic groups, and government agencies at home and abroad have participated in the activities to encourage the simultaneous use of "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan". And, such efforts have begun to yield remarkable results, thanks to the understanding of the international community. Notable examples in this regard are the recent decisions made by Rand McNally, Encyclopedia Britannica, and the National Geographic Society to use both names "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan" in their maps and publications. BBC, the Economist, CNN, The USA Today, and The Washington Times have also started to use both names simultaneously--CNN Newsbiz Today has recently used a map on which "Sea of Japan/East Sea" is displayed. In addition, the French Defense Ministry has released a maritime chart for 2003, describing the body of water between Korea and Japan as "East Sea (Mer de l'Est)" along with "Sea of Japan (Mer du Japon)." It is the first time a foreign government body has used the name "East Sea," although civilian maps have already begun to use both names, accepting South Korea's demand.
The KOIS would deeply appreciate if kokhaviv publications could give a full consideration on the simultaneous use of "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan" on the map. Given the influential power of your website, we firmly believe the simultaneous use of "East Sea and Sea of Japan" will have a significant precedence. If you need any further information or enquires regarding "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan", please, feel free to contact us at jhyang@korea.net for study results.
Please, take prompt action on this. We thank you for your time and attention. If you need any further information about Korea, please, feel free to contact us at jhyang@korea.net. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you very much for your time and attention.
Best regards,
Ms. Yang JihyunKorea.net Team
The Korean Overseas Information Service
82-1 Sejongno, Jongno-gu,
Seoul 110-703 Republic of Korea