1953~1954년 독도에서의 한일충돌과 한국의 독도수호정책

Abstract

The territorial dispute over Dokdo between Korea and Japan since World War II became serious after San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951. Japan started to claim the sovereignty over Dokdo through diplomatic statements in 1951~1952 after the effectuation of San Francisco Peace Treaty. After May, 1953 Japan mobilized physical means like landing at Dokdo, removing the signpost on which “Korean Territory” was written, installing the signpost of “Japanese Territory”, threatening the Korean fishermen who were fishing there, and others. Japan designated Dokdo as a bombing range for U. S. Air forces in Japan in 1952~1953. After removing its designation, Japan invaded Dokdo in a full-scale. Standing against it, from the beginning Korea tried to safeguard Dokdo mobilizing public authorities like the police and marine police in Uleungdo. The Korean government carried out a survey on Dokdo in 1953. Dokdo patrol party under the Uleungdo police station did not decline a fire fight with Japan in spite of its poor equipment and numerical inferiority and declared its will to safeguard Dokdo. As the Korean government has started to install permanent facilities in Dokdo in several stages since the middle of 1954, it made it clear that Dokdo belongs to the Korean territory externally and internally. After the installation of a lighthouse in Dokdo, the Korean government informed international Hydrographic Bureau of its installation and it was registered in an American hydrographic magazine as a nautical mark. And always-on security forces composed of a seizable number of policemen were dispatched to Dokdo. They set up camps and guard posts and were equipped with communication devices. Daring to open fire on Japanese patrol boats, the always-on police force in Dokdo declared its resolute will to safeguard Dokdo. As the result of sequential actions of the Korean government in 1954, it came to be recognized as an accomplished fact that Dokdo belongs to the Korean territory. On the other hand, Japan denying armed forces and a right to waging war according to its pacifist constitution could not take action of armed forces against the Korean police force. There has not been Japanese trial to land or access Dokdo and nearby waters since 1955. Consequently the territorial dispute over Dokdo between Korea and Japan converted to the level of diplomatic memorandum exchanges like in 1952. The issues of Korea-Japan relations represented by Dokdo in 1953 and 1954 changed to those of the peace line, Korea’s property claims against Japan and returning rooted cultural assets.