The Korean American Leaders Association (KALA) and BYON International - both Korean-American organizations in the U.S. - kicked off a fresh PR campaign to spread the word that Dokdo belongs to Korea.
They designed and created blue elastic bracelets with the words "Dokdo is Korean Territory" and "East Sea is Korea" written on them. With the initial distribution starting in New York and New Jersey, KALA co-chair Hwang Sung-ho says the campaign will soon go national.
"We need to be more aggressive in raising awareness in the U.S. about the importance of this issue," he told The Korea Times, stressing that the U.S. holds the key to resolving the long-running dispute between Korea and Japan.
. . .
"People in the U.S. know and talk about the Falkland Islands but nobody knows about Dokdo," said Hwang, "and that's what we need to change."
He pointed out the reality that even Korean-Americans do not have an understanding of Dokdo.
"The campaign will first target the younger generations on college campuses and then expand from there," said Hwang.
KALA officials say they plan to increase distribution of the blue bracelets by having runners of this year's Boston Marathon wear them during the annual event later this month. Plus, they are seeking cooperation with other Korean organizations nationwide for a faster and more effective distribution.
There is renewed interest in Korea's terrotirial disputes, in Korea, after more Japanese textbooks included the rocks as part of their territory. That's what nations in a territorial dispute do, they dispute territory, though the reaction among the media and among citizens shows a misunderstanding of this point. This all comes, of course, after a South Korean navy vessel sunk in the Yellow Sea by, as many are reporting, a North Korean torpedo. After what many are considering an attack by the North, Seoul responded by . . .
President Lee Myung-bak said Friday that his administration will come up with measures to ensure the country's continued control of the islets of Dokdo in the East Sea.
Getting back to the article, no, you don't need to be more aggressive in raising awareness in the US about the importance of this issue because Americans who aren't ethnically Korean don't care and don't consider it important. Regardless of the potential role the US could play, you're alienating Americans by forcing your disputes, hang-ups, and insecurities, on the public. Matter of fact, with the full-page newspaper advertisements, the billboards, the videos in Times Square, and the preaching every chance you get, I'd say your level of aggression is a bit high already.
And while we're here, I never miss an opportunity to hate this "East Sea" crap. I've written my thoughts on it many times---here, or in the "Liancourt Rocks" category---and noted that some Koreans never tire of dictating to English-speakers how their own language should be used. Singer Kim Jang-hoon often takes out full-page ads in papers like the New York Times and Washington Post, pointing out the "errors" on maps that label it Sea of Japan. The Korea Herald wrote about one such ad:
The ad expressed regret that the article had "a small but significant error," saying, "This body of water has been referred to as the East Sea by many nations over the past 2,000 years."
Remarkable, I had no idea nations were using English 2,000 years ago. Koreans don't use English, most aren't proficient in it, and even Kim himself demonstrated with comments on his Cyworld page that he's not somebody to be considered an authority on the language:
Thank you for WSJ
. . .
East Sea/Sea of japan
. . .
정말 눈물이 날만큼 기쁩니다.
. . .
'Truth wins,in thw end'
It's exceptionally arrogant for Koreans to dictate to English-speakers how they should refer to a body of water in their own language, and even moreso when the alternatives suggested, like "East Sea" or "Sea of Korea," are even more biased than the original. The name in Korean is 동해---"East Sea"---and nobody is suggesting changing the name to 일본해. However, the accepted name in English is Sea of Japan, and Koreans who use English will, well, have to accept it.
51 comments:
East Sea is Korea
That's a new one, isn't it? Korea now owns the entire sea?
People in the U.S. know and talk about the Falkland Islands
No, they don't and no, they don't.
"East Sea is Korea"
Indeed, Darth. You're not going to get much backing for your cause if you're claiming a whole sea is yours. Again, a failure of Koreans to run these things by native speakers.
This is more foot-shooting to say the least. Korea controls the islets and every time Koreans raise the issue they merely call attention to the fact that Japan contests this control.
These people are IDIOTS plain and simple and I can't wait to tell one to his/her face when they approach me.
But it'll have an affect. People are dumb, Koreans have Korean pride and the people who don't know/don't care won't bother to research the material for themselves - meaning that the next time the topic is brought up, they'll "remember" hearing that "Dokdo is Korea's." The Bush administration backing up Korea's claim didn't help matters at all, either. The US has already taken a side with the issue.
In the end, this campaign will be successful for them since there's no counter argument being presented and ignorance is easily spread.
Again, a failure of Koreans to run these things by native speakers.
Or maybe they did.
Here's how it's going to go:
Korean: You want brace..bra...wrist necklace?
American College Student: For what?
K: Dokdo! You know Dokdo?
AMC: No, man. Are they a band or something?
K:Dokdo is Korea! EAST SEA!!!!!!
AMC: So, it's like, another name for Korea?
K: Dokdo is ours!!!
AMC: North or South?
K: Huh?
AMC: Nevermind, man, I think I'll pass. I've gotta go to class.
if its a cool looking bracelt, not just some generic thing with some dokdo printed on it, I may wear it.
also, perspective, they can give out stuff in ny. it doesnt mean all of ny is getting it, its probably one street corner. I remember hearing Bi had a Madison Square Garden concert. It wa big news, like it was the only concert of signigance in a while. MSG has concerts everyday, by international artists as well as US artists. I think I read the singer Seven had alot more shows than Bi, but Seven isnt a "world star"
anyway, google east sea if you want. I know when I go home, noone asks me about my extensive travels, not when theres a new iPad or a new Greek joint on the corner.
I think we tend to forget that most people dont care. Koreans fighting for the East Sea, Uprisings in Kyrzykstan, whatever.
That KFC is on the corner right here!~
Yawn.
Intended effect on target group: Zero, Americans, like most people, don't care about anything outside of America.
Possible unintended consequence: Americans learn what idiots hyper-nationalistic, Korean activists are and reflexively take the Japanese side.
Maybe they should try some of that finger chopping shit outside the Japanese consulate?
Have any of you Google Mapped or Bing Mapped Sea of Japan vs East Sea?
First, neither map labels it clearly. A quick scan shows that all other bodies of water are clearly labelled on Bing, including Yellow Sea to the west of Korea.
Google lists it as Sea of Japan. If you Google "East Sea" the result is the same except the labelling changes to "Japan Sea."
If you search "Sea of Japan" it labels it Sea of Japan (East Sea), but if you search "East Sea" it moves the marker MUCH closer to Korea (essentially off it's coast line) with no mention of Sea of Japan.
Sorry, that last paragraph is for Bing.
This increasingly reminds me of a 4-year-old trying to get attention.
Someone should tell these clowns to keep quiet when the adults are speaking.
My work had a feature on the 5000 year history of Korea in our corporate magizine this month. I'm glad they didn't try to translate 동해 to east sea (no Dokdo was visible). Though they also had a Korean map of Gojoseon showing ownership of large parts of China, without any date.
They just can't expect many Americans to show interest in this...it's not something that will motivate people outside Korea, unlike the Haiti disaster or human rights groups and the like...it's a dispute about tiny islands!
I mean, I'm Korean and think Dokdo is Korean (sorry for those of you who think otherwise), but there is a much better way to go about convincing people. Using purely emotional rhetoric and bad English and distributing bracelets will not cut it.
I've made this point before, and thought I included it in this post but I guess I cut that paragraph . . . lumping the Sea of Japan in with this Dokdo claim weakens the latter, I think.
Korea's claim to the Liancourt Rocks is strong I guess, probably as strong if not stronger than Japan's, and currently Korea is the only country actively fighting for it. Japan claims it in textbooks, but again, that's what countries do in territorial disputes. But the push to rename the sea* "Sea of Korea" or "East Sea" is really very weak, looks petty and arrogant, and ends up with people dismissing the Liancourt Rocks territorial dispute. Whatever point Kim Jang-hoon might have with "Dokdo," he totally loses any credibility when he starts talking about "errors" calling it "Sea of Japan." Whatever Koreans may feel about Dokdo, they'll have to understand it's called "Sea of Japan" in English, and any attempt to change it is just stupid.
* Sure, many say they're only after a dual label (calling it Sea of Japan and East Sea), but that same courtesy isn't extended the Sea of Japan. When was the last time you saw a map made in Korea labelling it "Sea of Japan" in English? If Koreans themselves won't list both names, it's arrogant to demand others do it. And, again for about the millionth time, I'm talking about the English name. Nobody is talking about changing it to 일본해 in Korean.
On top of that, it bugs me that most of the world labels Japan and Korea alphabetically (Japan/Korea) but Koreans tend to reverse the order (Korea/Japan). I also notice they ALWAYS label the Sea of Japan "East Sea/Sea of Japan" when making their case instead of the more common "Sea of Japan/East Sea."
Most of the world labels it Japan/Korea? When do they label it at all?
The 2002 World Cup was officially Korea/Japan, not Japan/Korea, part of the deal of concessions the two made when deciding the name, the opening, and the closing venues.
Why does this South Korean group believe the U.S. holds the key? And even if the U.S. did, why would it spend any important political/diplomatic capital to pressure Japan on this issue, when they can't even get the current government to agree to keep the agreement the previous government signed regarding the base re-alignment?
And I just want to echo Darth B.; I was on the higher end of U.S. high school level history, and I couldn't tell you anything about the Falklands, other than that it is a group of islands involving the U.K., somehow.
Maybe the problem is that, in addition to thinking so highly of themselves, Koreans in this group also think too highly of the U.S.
Yeah, and who's insistence was it to call it Korea/Japan?
Japan? Please. Thanks for proving my point:
FIFA at the first suggested calling it "Japan-Korea" in the English alphabetical order, but Korea insisted on adopting the French alphabetical order "Corée" and "Japon" (since the name "FIFA" is in French) and calling it "Korea-Japan".
FIFA wanted alphabetical order but Korea wanted FRENCH alphabetical order... but written in English. Utterly childish.
They really need to hold a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for the cause of Dokdo...and then learn how pissed off those people get when they learn that they could have been donating to something like Haiti or something like that. (Haiti still needs help, go to the pbs website and check out the recent "Front Line," episode about Haiti. It's still pretty messed up there.)
wait. why dont they protest the WEST SEA or the SOUTH SEA? I mean, really. Ask someone why not, no answer, why?
simple, they lose to Japan. worse thing in the world.
They really need to hold a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for the cause of Dokdo...and then learn how pissed off those people get when they learn that they could have been donating to something like Haiti or something like that.
Indeed. When there are starving homeless people on Dokdo get back to me. But get outta my face because you can't get along with your neighbor and want the bigger neighbor to agree you have a greener lawn.
Really, how Koreans can justify wasting anyone's time when there are about a billion bigger problems in the world is either arrogance or ignorance fueled by deep set cultural nationalism.
That's it. I'm not buying Samsung!
FIFA wanted alphabetical order but Korea wanted FRENCH alphabetical order... but written in English. Utterly childish.
Just as all white people are Americans, is it possible Koreans think "!Korean = English". Joe from Seoul Podcast, I think, found it amusing a Korean "french" restaurant had all french in its window but they thought it was english.
First time posting and just want to add that I love the articles.
As a U.S. citizen, having Korea trying to convince the English speaking world to change their language is pretty much like having a Chihuahua barking at a St. Bernard and demanding it change the color of the spot on its left foot.
It is something that isn't going to change, and it just gets annoying.
(Sorry Brian to side track the discussion)
Wanted to add to the Korea/Japan thing. My wife is Japanese but was living in Korea for 2 years. She was there during the 2002 World Cup. The original poster for the world cup was to have a layout of a soccer field. But since Japan's name in Kanji is 日本, The soccer field looked like the 1st kanji in the name so Korea got really upset and said no. So they used the circular symbol and demanded a white background on the poster.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=4395/index.html
They had one more poster designed, but demanded that the soccer field outline wouldn't be fully shown.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/photogallery/gallery=769091.html#768812
Japan paid for the stadium and what not, when they asked for Korea to pay it back, Korea screamed comfort women...
So in other words, if Japan gives up the Liancourt Rocks, I'm pretty sure Korea will then start asking for Japan's island of Kyushu.
The post title made me lol.
The original poster for the world cup was to have a layout of a soccer field. But since Japan's name in Kanji is 日本, The soccer field looked like the 1st kanji in the name so Korea got really upset and said no.
Koreans get upset at anything vaguely circular in anything vaguely rectangular. Because it looks like a Japanese flag! When they made that new park in front of city hall, a park meant to be a gathering place for Koreans to bang gongs 'n' crap while their team wins/loses something or another, people were outraged that the circular grass park set in a vaguely square block of cement looked a wee too much (as in not at all) like the Japanese flag.
Ever notice what a Korean kite looks like? OMFG!
What I find interesting is that when you look at a Chinese atlas, it's always labeled 日本海, or Sea of Japan.
Again brian being a tool and not understanding korea from a korean perspective
How is it annoying is it affecting your life i dont think so
Why arent korean allowed to do this
They can do whatever they fuckin want
The reason Koreans want to change the name of the sea is b/c of territorial rights
Japanese military enters korean waters thinking they can do whatever they want b/c the sea theirs and people who wants to bring up the issue about the korean strait
Seriously a strait and a sea are two different things
When a sea is named after your country it gives you more governing rights over the ocean
a strait is just a channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water
(wait that kind of sounds like a river)
The real insecure and arrogant thing is when japan changed the spelling of corea with a k because c comes before J during colonial rule.
Real arrogant thing is Japan selling our land to the chinese without our consent and china not returing that land which they should because under the san francisco treaty of 1952 any treaty signed by japan 1942 is null and void therefore, korea should get gando back from the chinese.
Before people complain and say why should they get their land back that they lost b/c japan was in charge then why should the many european territories lost to the germans be returned to their rightful owners.
Lastly think why in the first place was the name sea of japan when korea for thousands of years called it the east sea
Lets see because japan started to lobby that name in europe first which is evident of another country trying to dictate to foreigners what the name of the sea should be
Really korea existed before japan did so korea should have the rights to call it the east sea and lobby for that name to be implemented.
Remember every country in the world lobbies for things they want US and Canada argues over territorial rights regarding the arctic, they argue about which country is allowed to take more water from the great lakes these are all things taught to students in north America trying to influence their claim so if korea wants to do it what gives you the right to judge when you are not even korean
cocan05, you've insulted me a second time, after I've told you not to. Your comments are no longer welcome here. The reason I've allowed this one is because I want to address your fallacy.
Japan did not change the spelling of Korea from C to K. Read that again: Japan did not change the spelling of Korea from C to K. Just read this post:
http://www.monster-island.net/2005/05/korea-versus-corea.html
The accepted English name is Sea of Japan. When Koreans speak English, they should be expected to use "Sea of Japan," and they should stop trying to dictate to English-speakers how to use their own native language.
Kev, in a lot of languages they call it "Sea of Japan."
Again brian being a tool and not understanding korea from a korean perspective
It would be helpful to understand a Korean perspective if it was based on fact, logic, and evidence. You display none.
Why arent korean allowed to do this
They can do whatever they fuckin want
Right. No one said they couldn't. However, if they want to understand how Americans would view it from an American perspective maybe they could stop being arrogant and actually ask a native speaker what things like "east sea is korea" means to a native speaker.
Another nationalist Korean running around demanding people understand the suffering of the great han people but not grasping it’s a two way street.
When a sea is named after your country it gives you more governing rights over the ocean
Really? See, here's that thing I mentioned above about speaking from a position of fact, logic, and evidence if you want people to take you seriously. Surely you could specify some international maritime ruling that says because a sea is named after your country that gives you more rights over a whole ocean. Not sure if Ontario has any more rights over Lake Ontario.
The real insecure and arrogant thing is when japan changed the spelling of corea with a k because c comes before J during colonial rule.
A silly urban legend. Say, did you hear the one about the lady who smeared peanut butter around her hoo hoo and the dog would lick it off and then her sister had a surprise party for her and… Betcha you think that's true too as it happened to a friend of a friend…
Real arrogant thing is Japan selling our land to the chinese without our consent and china not returing that land which they should because under the san francisco treaty of 1952 any treaty signed by japan 1942 is null and void therefore, korea should get gando back from the chinese.
Those darn Chinese! Says didn't they kill some of your coast guard dudes a year ago too? Well, I await the candle lit protests. But wait. There won't be any because Korea knows its place when it comes to China.
Before people complain and say why should they get their land back that they lost b/c japan was in charge then why should the many european territories lost to the germans be returned to their rightful owners.
Right because the nations of Europe had no problem at all with how the borders were redrawn after WWII. Kaliningrad. Cough.
Lastly think why in the first place was the name sea of japan when korea for thousands of years called it the east sea
Wow, I didn't realize English was in use in Asia 1,000 years ago. Look, you call it what you want in Korean. We'll call it what we want in English. The arrogance to think you can dictate what we call it in OUR language. Geesh.
Really korea existed before japan did so korea should have the rights to call it the east sea and lobby for that name to be implemented.
So if China used that argument about, oh, some shared mountain ranges, you'll have no problem with that?
what gives you the right to judge when you are not even korean
Errr. Because Koreans are asking Americans to pass judgment. Get it?
Remember every country in the world lobbies for things they want US and Canada argues over territorial rights regarding the arctic, they argue about which country is allowed to take more water from the great lakes these are all things taught to students in north America trying to influence their claim so if korea wants to do it
Yeah. No. Big fail. You should try to only talk about the narrow range of things you know about. Like Starcraft or how Korea has four seasons. We're not taught what you claim we're taught in school. Again, fact and evidence. Just don't make stuff up. Could you support your claim? And sure Canada and the USA have disputes. Guess what. We don't show up in Tokyo claiming "Lake Ontario is Canada!" We kinda quietly and politely solve our problems ourselves. Get it? You're big boys now. Time to stop begging the USA. Mmmmkay? Run along.
After reading that litany that hit all the notes just a little too well, I think cocan05 is someone having a little fun.
Kushibo I liked your korean letter c page. Next time someone claims you're a Korean apologize direct them there. I've printed it out and I'm going to give it a closer reading over weekend coffee.
"After reading that litany that hit all the notes just a little too well, I think cocan05 is someone having a little fun."
I'm starting to agree, especially since the link to their blog goes to a blog with a blank page.
What, a blog with a blank page? Who in their right mind would do THAT?
I think Mike Breen made an intersting point a few weeks ago in his collumn.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/04/170_63031.html
He wrote about that guy named Rober Park who went to North Korea and was captured. He mentioned how Park thought it was funny how South Koreans get all up in arms about unpopulated rocks, yet don't seem to care about people dying in death camps in the north.
My take on Dokdo is something similar to Thomas Friedman's take on Muslim areas in the Middle East. Korean nationalist pride is one of somewhat false pride. Yes Korea is an economic miracle, but it is both at the expense of North Korea and paid for largely by America and Japan, and Koreans know this.
As long as China is a communist country the two Koreas will probably never be reunited, because the awful regime in China will never stand for a free country directly boardering it without a giant mountain range or smaller buffer states or ocean in between it and a free economically powerful country. And let's face it South Korea's stock price will go way down if it has to buy out all of the assets and remodel the North into something workable, but a five to ten year rebuilding phase could bring out some of the North's natural talents and a totally free penninsula does pose a threat to a country that is afraid of google.
How this relates to Dokdo is the fact that South Koreans probably know and accept their fate as being a country that is basically a welfare state whose cheif import is money but has a wealth of technical skill and talent. They also know that the goal of a unified Korea is a pie in the sky that would probablly result in annialation. Therefore as a point of pride they probably hound on and on about Dokdo because it isn't of any consequence, and if they can get google maps or rand mcnally to publish maps with the terms "Dokdo," or "East Sea," then they are minor victories to make them feel good.
It probably also feels pretty good to get ads put into the New York times or Wall Street Jounal. Now the difference is is when the Japanese do that type of thing it is usually on the topic of Japanese citizens who were kidnapped by North Korea, which actually seems like an important issue, but still there isn't much that Americans can do about it - except for Korean American Christians, who are usually some of the only folks who try to get people out of the north.
So I think that if Dokdo/Vank folks really want to make an impact, they should try to tie the issue to something that people are going to care about. U.S. servicemen and the decendants of U.S. servicemen who served and died in Korea aren't going to care about the territorial dispute, but if it were to give the North a black eye some how they might get on board.
Also when you have Tsushima/Daemado in site from Busan and Yeosu, where the people are proudly Japanese, it kind of hurts your case for an island where nobody lives.
The US has already taken a side with the issue
Well, they DID, but once it was pointed out to Bush that the U.S. policy was to NOT take sides in the issue, the "support" for Korea was withdrawn. The U.S. is now neutral again.
After reading that litany that hit all the notes just a little too well, I think cocan05 is someone having a little fun.
Yep. For someone who is "korean canadian" and is "more canadian than korean", he sure doesn't write like one. At best, he was a yuhak FOB. A Canadian simply wouldn't give a shit.
Partly in response to 3gyupsal who just wrote an indictment on Koreans and Tokto, and also Brian whose title about "Annoying Koreans" is up above, you guys do realize that this bracelet thing is being done by Korean Americans (probably long-time first- or 1.5-generation immigrants) and not KoKo Koreans, right?
Since 3gyupsal seems to assert that Koreans make a big deal out of this at the expense of North Korea as a human rights issue while it is only "Korean American Christians" who care about the North, I thought it worth pointing out that this bracelet thing that is so annoying is from Korean Americans and not KoKos.
And KoKos do care about North Korea. Enough that most men spend about two years of their lives in uniform against threats that primarily stem from North Korea.
As for rescuing North Koreans from their leadership, that, too, has been tried. But lots of South Koreans ended up getting shot at and killed by the North. (And quoting Robert Park, the guy who went on walkabout and handed the North a propaganda coup, I don't know how wise that is to bolster a case.)
Two years versus how much time do you think the average Korean spends doing anything about Tokto? In 2005 in particular, the government did overreact, as did a coterie of a dozen or so high-profile uberpatriots, but since then, especially recently, the K-blogs have been presenting this in a way that has led to cognitive distortion of how much this issue is on the radar.
Make no mistake, most people in South Korea would get angry about Tokyo's moves, but that's hardly unexpected or reasonable, given the nature of Japan's claim — it stems from Imperial-era expansion and militarism and far from being worthless rocks, were Japan to gain control of them, because of their claims that Tokto-like islands generate an EEZ (a position Korea does NOT take) then thousands of square kilometers between Tokto and Ullŭngdo would suddenly become disputed waters — but those reactions are far from these acts that end up in the papers and on K-blogs.
News stories that get an "oh, by the way, this happened" notice in the Korean-language press become front-and-center stories in the K-blogs, which contributes greatly to the distortion. Seriously, by merely commenting on this post, you have participated in Tokto discussion more than 98% of South Koreans.
As for your indictment about Koreans and nationalism, if the same type of scrutiny were applied to most any other country, you could dig up the similar types of nationalism and insecurity. I am typing this in a country whose government famously changed "French fries" to "Freedom Fries" because the president of France disagreed with us on Iraq, which we invaded because of 9/11, and where about half of all Americans still believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the attack.
The Freedom Fries thing alone trumps any of the private citizen silliness on Tokto, and goes about on par with mealy-mouthed Roh Moohyun's "diplomatic war."
WORD VERIFICATION: unshib, what I would have to do if I wanted to just be "Kuo."
Puffin Watch wrote:
Kushibo I liked your korean letter c page. Next time someone claims you're a Korean apologize direct them there.
I do. I also direct them here.
Oh yeah military service, thanks for reminding me about that Kushibo, my claims are a bit harsh aren't they. No I don't intend to indict all Koreans, and that is a good point about the freedom fries. (Well any American political discourse at this point is pretty much embarrassing...people are calling the president a communist for trying to give Americans health care...even Mexico has something of a national health care plan for goodness sakes...I just saw a clip of Michelle Bachman talking about how the U.S. is becoming a Western European socialist dictatorship...since when is "Western Europe," the bad guy.
At any rate, I should rephrase my previous comments, I don't mean to indict all Koreans, and you are correct I did waste a lot of time writing that post last night so sorry to come off as one of those monolithic condemners of Korea I don't mean to be.
3gyupsal, I'm glad you're so easy to talk down from the ledge. :)
And I'm not trying to bash the US; I'm just pointing out that these supposed OINK aspects are by no means unique to Korea.
As for making Western Europe out to be the bad guys, I think a lot of that rhetoric stems from what we in the US learn as a national narrative: Americans are rugged individualists, borne from life on the prairie, but even if that really were true, it is so far gone from our experience today, but anybody who points that out is an Ivory Tower liberal and closet socialist, right?
In one of my med soc classes the professor had us read "Double Standard," which analyzed different aspects of the welfare state (in Europe) and the US counterpart from that point of view. I thought it was an interesting read.
lol, thats funny :)
Here's a different point of view on the whole Dokdo stuff...
Here are some links to articles where Japan and China are fighting over a couple of godforsaken rocks in the Pacific Ocean that nobody lives on. Apparently, these uninhabited rocks (like Dokdo) are potentially worth billions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/world/asia/20iht-web.0520tokyo.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24029480/
My husband and I are both so sick of this "issue". He coined the phrase: "Dokdo - Fuckdo."
We aren't planning to have t-shirts made anytime soon as we would likely be lynched on the subway. ;)
Those of you who are saying, "Oh Korea is claiming the whole sea now.." do you really think this is what Korea is saying? Korea is just saying that they take exception to being bullied by Japan and watching the rest of the world be lobbied to support the naming of the sea between Korea and japan the "Sea of Japan" when that only came about because of the imperialist invasion sovereign Korea. It should not be rewarded this way. It is a fair compromise to label the waters closer to Korea the "East Sea" and the water closer to Japan "Sea of Japan". Stop being so simple minded.
Well, I don't think you're speaking for all Koreans and what they want. Some are interested in compromise, in labeling English-language maps as both Sea of Japan and East Sea. Others favor a complete change outright: calling the body of water "East Sea" and "East Sea" only, a name I've demonstrated is just as biased as "Sea of Japan".
As a compromise I would be in favor of something like "East Asian Sea," something far more neutral and more accurate (as there is already an "East Sea" in English). But to call for the name to be "East Sea" in English is narrow-minded.
Hello, Brian :) I am actually writing a paper on the Dokdo/Takeshima controversy for a Political Geography course at university. When I Googled Dokdo NY Times, your blog popped up and the title caught my eye. Just from a very very cursory look at your profile and this blog, it doesn't seem as though you are anti-Korean; in fact, you seem to be an English teacher in Korea, am I correct? I was just wondering why you were so hostile to Korea's desire to have greater influence in international politics?
If you are not hostile, please forgive me, because, as I said, I only skimmed through your blog and read this blog about Dokdo fairly quickly.
To be honest, I was not going to leave a comment. However, looking through the comments did insult me a tad bit as a Korean-American. I suppose I should be a bit ashamed when I say that I did not know anything about Dokdo or Korean history or their relationship with Japan until I started this paper. I, too, thought Koreans' obsession about Dokdo and their seemingly uncalled for hatred of Japan was annoying and somewhat embarrassing - especially when I was living in Tokyo. Then, as I started researching (not only the Korean side, but also articles and papers written by Japanese university professors), I began to understand why Koreans and Korea as a nation feels so strongly about seemingly miniscule topics. Dokdo does not have much economic value - it is practically inhabitable. So Korea's desire to have the international community recognize those two small rocks is not so much based on economics or territorial rights as it is based on nationalistic pride. Considering that Korea suffered some alarming atrocities at the hands of the Japanese, I can understand why Korea would feel so strongly about Dokdo, the East Sea, comfort women, etc.
I feel that insulting a country and calling its people 'annoying' and 'idiots' is rude and, in a way, prejudice without knowing the history behind why that country is acting that way.
As for pushing down unwanted opinions on your average American that doesn't give two cents about Korea's problems, I would just like to say that is quite a reflection on a nation. We praise ourselves by saying 'international community' and we say the internet has smudged borders between nations, and yet all I see in these comments is close mindedness and a severe unwillingness to learn about another culture and another country's history.
As a person living in Korea, I assume you hear more about this issue than I do and so I respect your opinion. I just wanted to give Korea some defense. Either way, I enjoyed reading your blog :)
- Grace
Thanks for your comment, Grace. I was in fact an English teacher in Korea for several years.
I'm quite aware of the reasons for Korean interest in their side of the Dokdo / East Sea controversies. I think the post makes it quite clear my objections to the use of "East Sea" or "Sea of Korea" or otherwise dictating how English speakers should use their language. The post also makes quite clear I'm not calling all Koreans annoying or belittling their culture, language, etc. The ones handing out bracelets in New York, though, I considered annoying. I had been writing about the "East Sea" controversy for a number of years, and was one of the most active English-language writers on the topic, so I don't think it's accurate to say the post is "without knowing the history behind why that country is acting that way". As I've said on the numerous posts on the Sea of Japan / East Sea debate, the rationale "Japan was bad" is not reason enough to give the body of water a Korea-centric name. (Regarding the rocks, I couldn't care less . . . Korea has the stronger case, so as far as I'm concerned it's legally and undeniably theirs). As I've written before, I'd be fine with "East Asian Sea" as a neutral name.
I don't really have much interest in covering "Dokdo" . . . there are many more interesting and relevant topics on Korea I enjoy learning about, and talking about "Dokdo" or any other Korea-vs-Japan topics only brings out the worst in the internet. I don't take responsibility over every single comment here, and am not responsible for "closed mindedness" or a "severe unwillingness" to learn about another country or culture. I spent 4.5 years in the country, and if you look through the blog beyond topics like this you'll see as a writer I've been quite the opposite. Relatively few Koreans even care about Jeollanam-do, and there was practically no English-language information about it available before this blog, so I'm happy to have changed that.
I do not, in fact, live in Korea anymore: I left nearly 2.5 years ago, and I currently work with international students--including many Koreans--at a university in the US. I look fondly on my time in Korea, and I focus on the positives: I do think the "East Sea" / Sea of Japan debate is an interesting one regarding how Koreans approach English, but ultimately it's not a topic I give much thought to anymore. I leave that, and the other controversial topics, to people in-country with much more energy to devote to every single argument that pops up.
I don't agree with some of your comments about me or this site, but 2 years removed I don't want to get into a lengthy debate about character or the blog's value. I'll say I appreciate that you're more civil thank most! Thank you for your visit and for your comment, and I hope this blog will be useful as representing one side of the issue (but don't judge it solely based on it). Thanks.
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