Dokdo Dokdo is a small island, but is rich in marine products and mineral resources. Dokdo, our only marine base on the East Sea extends our territory farther towards the East. The Natural Environment of Dokdo Dokdo has a mild climate for people to live in with warm temperatures and precipitation of 1,300mm per year. The size of this small island is 0.233km2 and the color of the island is dark reflecting the color of the trachyte and tuff. In November 1965, a fountain was found at the northeast side of Seodo and people began to inhabit Dokdo. ■ The History of Dokdo Since Isabu conquered Usanguk in 512 A.D. (the 13th year of King Jijeung, Silla Kingdom), Dokdo has been a part of Korea's territory. During the Goryeo dynasty, Dokdo was left uninhabited, however, Korean fishermen continued fishing around Dokdo Island through the Joseon dynasty. In 1953, the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison deterred the Japanese from landing on the island, and our efforts to defend Dokdo continues. 1. Three Kingdom Period There are not many records on Dokdo during the Three Kingdom Period. However, Samguksagi (the History of Three Kingdoms) writes about the conquest of Dokdo by Isabu. The Conquest of Dokdo Isabu conquered Usanguk, consisting of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, in A.D. 512 (the 13th year of King Jijeung of Silla). Since then, Ulleungdo and Dokdo were incorporated into Korea. Usanguk paid tribute to Silla every year, and after the fall of Silla, its tribute continued to Goryeo. 2. Goryeo Though a specific record of Dokdo cannot be found, the records on Ulleungdo allow us to figure out what Dokdo was like at that time. Taejong In 930 (the 13th year of his reign), Baekgil and Taedu of Ulleungdo presented regional products to the King Hyeonjong In 1015 (the 9th year of his reign), the tribe of Yeojin invaded Usanguk and ruined farming. As a result of this, the King told an official, Yi Wongu, to send farming tools. Deokjong In 1031(the first year of his reign), Bueonaedarang, son of the lord of Ulleung, presented regional products, and at this time, the title, the lord of Ulleung, was first used. Euijong In 1156(the 11th year of his reign), Gim Yurip surveyed Ulleungdo to find out whether the saying was true that Ulleungdo was fertile to live on. However, he reported that it was not proper to move people because of the rocky terrain. Myeongjong There is a record that in 1197(the 27th year of his reign), Choi Chungheon sent people over to Ulleungdo to settle there, but the ship was wrecked due to a storm, so he told them to come back. In historical records of that time such as Yeojiji, Ulleungdo was considered uninhabitable, so it was almost uninhabited. There is a record that in 1197(the 27th year of his reign), Choi Chungheon sent people over to Ulleungdo to settle there, but the ship was wrecked due to a storm, so he told them to come back. 3. Josen The Policy of Uninhabited Island--Taejong In 1407 (the 7th year of Taejong), the lord of Tsushima requested that they move to Mureungdo in the East Sea, but the King rejected it. King Taejong employed a policy of restricting settlement on Ulleungdo and Dokdo because the islands were likely to be attacked by Japanese pirates and could not be kept under the control of the central government. However, people continued fishing around Dokdo and Ulleungdo, and some people fled from the main land to the islands. Usando--Sejong In 1425 (the 7th year of Sejong), the King sent Gim In-U to govern Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Sejongsillok Jiriji records the existence of Dokdo, which was called Usan at that time, on the east of Ulleungdo. On a clear day, Usando was visible from Ulleungdo. In 1439 (The 21st year of King Sejong), the lord of Tsushima sent a tribute of regional products and requested permission to inhabit Ulleungdo, but the King rejected the entreaty. Sambongdo--Seongjong In 1476 (the 7th year of Seongjong), 12 people including Gim Jaju arrived at Sambongdo, but could not land on the island because they were afraid of the 30 people they found there. They drew the shape of the island on paper and came back. They concluded Sambongdo was not Ulleungdo but Usando, which was Dokdo. Jasando--Sukjong Japanese fishermen appeared near Dokdo and Ulleungdo for fishing purposes. In 1693 (the 19th year of Sukjong), Ahn Yongbok, a fisherman from Dongnae, went over to Japan to claim that Dokdo was the territory of Joseon and asked the Japanese to stop fishing there. Due to Ahn's act, the Joseon government surveyed the Dokdo and Ulleungdo area every three years. After this, Japan did not raise any claims on Dokdo until 1868 when the Meiji government was established. Gajido--Jeongjo People called seals Gaji, so Dokdo got the name Gajido because of the abundance of seals on the island. A report, made after the search for the vagabonds of Ulleungdo by Han Chang-Guk in 1794 (the 19th year of Jeongjo), writes that Han's group observed the seals near Dokdo and shot two of them with a gun. Uldo--Dokseom--Dokdo Since 1876, Japanese fishermen resumed fishing on the sea around Dokdo and Ulleungdo, and Joseon protested against the illegal fishing to the Japanese government in 1881. In 1900, Joseon established the administrative unit of Ulleung-gun, which included Dokdo. At this time, the residents of Ulleungdo called stone "dol", so "Dolseum" was called "Dokseom" or "Dokdo." The name Dokdo was used by the government for the first time on April 29, 1906. 4. Since 1945 Since Korea's independence from Japanese rule in 1945, there have been continuous efforts to establish Dokdo as part of Korea's territory against Japan's claim to the contrary. In 1952, President Lee included Dokdo within the territory of Korea and the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison was established in 1953. If Dokdo is to be recognized internationally as an island instead of a reef, the requirement of trees, water, and people should be evident. Thus, recently civilian groups planted trees on Dokdo, and the government designated the breeding ground of sea birds of Dokdo as Natural Monument No. 336 in 1982 and built a berthing facility in 1997. ■ The Natural Environment of Dokdo 1. Where is Dokdo? Location San 42-75, Nammyeondo-dong, Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do 132°E, 37° N Average temperature: 12℃ Annual average precipitation: 1,300mm 92km from Ulleungdo 160km from Oki Island, Japan Dokdo is 68km closer to Ulleungdo than it is to Oki. Topography Dokdo was formed by the eruption of a volcano in the East Sea. The lower part of Dokdo consists of basalt and the upper part consists of tuff and trachyte, similar to the rock formation of Ulleungdo. Originally one island, Dokdo was divided into Dongdo and Seodo by the abrasion caysed by waves. Besides Dongdo and Seodo, there are 36 rock isles and reefs. The Sign, "Korean Dongdo Island Seodo Island Territory", was erected by the Dokdo Garrison. The Oceanic Currents around Dokdo The Bukhan Current, a kind of cold current, encircles around Dokdo, while Tsushima Current, a warm current, goes up to the north of Dokdo. The intersection of the cold and warm currents along with the abundant plankton provides ideal conditions for a fishing ground. The Climate of Dokdo Dokdo has an oceanic climate with strong sea winds. Typhoons and sea storms occur about 180 days a year and clear days occur about 47 days a year. 2. The Living Organisms of Dokdo Good fishing grounds The sea around Dokdo, where the Bukhan current flowing from the north and Tsushima warm current intersect each other, has a lot of plankton, and forms a good fishing ground in which squid, Alaska pollak, cod, small octopi, salmon, trout, shark, stingray, and shrimp are in abundance. squid salmon trout shark More than 3,000 fishing ships crowd the sea around Dokdo and the catch exceeds 60,000 tons a year. Marine life and seaweed such as kelp, conch, abalone, and laver grow in large quantities on the undersea reefs, providing people with an important source of income. An ecosystem of its own Lonicera Arabis takesimana Dianthus superbus var.longicalycinus Unlike the coast of the South Sea or Jejudo, the vegetation of Dokdo has its own peculiar ecosystem, which resembles the subtropic region of the northern hemisphere or the Mediterranean Sea. The black-tailed gull Dokdo is the breeding place of the black-tailed gull and Swinhoe's fork-tailed Petrel and was designated as Natural Monument No. 336. 3. Eco-Tourism of Dokdo Sunrise and sunset at Dokdo The Black-Tailed Gull The 36 rock isles and reefs, and a variety of seabirds and marine life add to the beauty of Dokdo. Independence Gate, a rock at Dongdo Independence Gate A cave made by sea abrasions at Dongdo A cave made by sea abrasions Three-Brothers Cave, located at Seodo, was formed by the abrasion of waves. Three-Brothers Cave Tanggeonbong, whose name derives from the top of the rock, which resembles the traditional headgear of man, tanggeon. Tanggeonbong Chotdaebawi, located in between Dongdo and Seodo, resembles a candle stick(Chotdae). Chotdaebawi Janggunbawi got its name from the shape resembling the face of a general (janggun). Janggunbawi ■ The Three Hundred Years of the Defense of Dokdo 1. Dokdo and International Law The Exclusive Economic Zone ? The term, exclusive economic zone, refers to the zone in which a country exercises sovereign rights in matters of the appropriate conservation, management, and utilization of the natural resources, whether living or non- living of the waters superjacent to the sea-bed and of the sea-bed and its subsoil as stipulated by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea.