근현대사(近現代史)를 통해 본 일본 독도 영유권 주장의 허구(虛構)와 실체적(實體的) 진실(眞實)

Abstract

There are plenty of literature and old maps in Japan that record that Dok-do (Japanese name: Takeshima), which is attached to Ullung-do, is part of Korean territory. On the other hand, there is no document in Korea that indicates that Takeshima (Korean name: Dok-do) is a Japanese territory. Furthermore, there has been no time in Korean history when Korea abandoned its claim of territoriality on Dok-do. When the imperialist Japan was defeated, Dok-do was returned to Korea by SCAP (UN Supreme Command). Before the USA-Japan Peace Treaty went into effect, on January 28, 1952 the Korean Government declared and implemented the maritime sovereignty line (Peace Line or Lee, Seung-Man Line by Japan) on the adjacent ocean. In this way, Dok-do was situated inside the McArthur Line and Peace Line, which made possible for Korea to have effective control over Dok-do. However, right after the San Francisco USA-Japan Peace Treaty went into effect, out of nowhere Japan declared that Takeshima (Korean name: Dok-do) is a Japanese territory and disputed the Korean territoriality over Dok-do by having Japan’s patrol boats, not fishing boats, invade the Dok-do waters several times. In response Korea effectively coped with the problem by having police guards stationed in Dok-do. This way, Korea beefed up its realistic control over Dok-do. Even though Japan brought up the issue of Dok-do’s territoriality in the course of new fisheries agreement negotiations between Korea and Japan, the conclusion was that Japan recognized Korea’s effective control over Dok-do. However, a clear resolution was postponed forever in 1998. So, a cause of dispute still remains. Now is the time we proved that Dok-do was originally a Korea’s island and that Japan has been just alleging that it is her island. We should make incessant efforts to collect evidence to prove that Dok-do is a Korean territory. In order that we may fundamentally solve the matter of Dok-do’s territoriality, we should not be complacent with the fact that we are exercising an effective control over Dok-do. Rather, like any other part of Korea, we have to make Dok-do a place where market economy principles and the freedom of free movement are guaranteed. Furthermore, we have to make Dok-do an inhabitable island where ordinary people live as recognized by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.