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Topic : East Sea_ Peace of Sea
Participants : Gyunglan Jung, Jihyun Lee, Wonjin Lime, Aruem Choi, Innhwa kwon, Seokgyo Jin, Soohyun Lee
Presenter: Wonjin Lime
Coordinator: Soohyun Lee
contents:
* Summary
Background: The body of water between S. Korea and Japan is widely known as the Sea of Japan, but S. Korea calls it the East Sea.
What happened? : South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has proposed renaming a body of water which is hotly contested with Japan as the Sea of Peace. Mr Roh made the suggestion at an informal meeting with Japan's PM Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam last November 2006.
And then: Mr Roh faced harsh criticism and Chong Wa Dae officials said the remark was not an official proposal.
2. Reactions
Korea: Anger, Worry, Criticism
-More than 60 percent of South Koreans oppose giving a neutral name to the East Sea, a survey said. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Christian Broadcasting System (CBS) on Jan. 8, 61.8 percent of the respondents said they object to renaming the East Sea, while 26.6 percent support the idea.
-The main opposition Grand National Party criticized the proposal for being `naïve’ and ‘irresponsible.’ Korean Internet users also flooded message boards with criticism that Mr. Roh had given up Korea’s sovereign right to name the sea as it desired. Critics say renaming the East Sea could give Tokyo a chance to bolster its claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.
Japan: Neglect, objection
-Mr. Abe took it at its face value ― a passing suggestion ― and opposed the idea. And the two governments ensured that Mr. Roh’s comments were not regarded as official and agreed not to make them public. (However media reported the suggestion was official, and Abe objected to it).
Others: Obsevation
-Mr Roh has been a frequent critic of Japan over its wartime past, accusing Tokyo of failing to repent fully for its colonial conduct. Rivalry between the two nations has often flared into angry words. (BBC)
3. East Sea
-The name of the body of water between South Korea and Japan is a bone of contention between the two countries. The sea became widely known as the ‘Sea of Japan’ during Japan's colonization of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and its defeat in World War II in 1945. S. Korea says it has been called the East Sea for centuries. Although Sea of Japan is the commonly used term to refer to the sea amongst the international community, both North Korea and South Korea have advocated for a different name to be used. South Korea has argued that it should be called the "East Sea"; North Korea, the "East Sea of Korea". However neither of these two names has achieved any formal international recognition.
-VANK(Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) has campaigned for renaming of ‘Sea of Japan’
internationally and VANK’s current major appeal is to the International Hydrographic Organization to include East Sea as an official name for the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and the islands of Japan. Their rationale is simple - they claim that the East Sea has as much historical precedent as the Sea of Japan and should be recognized as such. In addition, when a geographic name is disputed, both names are entitled to be used internationally until a solution is determined.
4. Plus
-Some Koreans contend that the international approval of the current name, which came in 1929 while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, was another example of Japan’s efforts to suppress Korea’s history and personality.
-This resulted in a happening but effected on Roh’s regime negatively: politicians/media criticized that ‘unrefined’ and ‘unprepared’ words have been one of the biggest problems of President Roh throughout his tenure
5. Talking Points
-What if Mr. Roh suggested it officially? How do you think about Japan’s reaction?
-If the sea is called ‘peace’, would it be harmful to our national profit really?
-If we say peace to chauvinists such as Japanese militarists, does it mean giving up nationality?
-As a Korean, when your nationalism confronts with peace do you take your side in peace?
Participants : Gyunglan Jung, Jihyun Lee, Wonjin Lime, Aruem Choi, Innhwa kwon, Seokgyo Jin, Soohyun Lee
Presenter: Wonjin Lime
Coordinator: Soohyun Lee
contents:
* Summary
Background: The body of water between S. Korea and Japan is widely known as the Sea of Japan, but S. Korea calls it the East Sea.
What happened? : South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has proposed renaming a body of water which is hotly contested with Japan as the Sea of Peace. Mr Roh made the suggestion at an informal meeting with Japan's PM Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam last November 2006.
And then: Mr Roh faced harsh criticism and Chong Wa Dae officials said the remark was not an official proposal.
2. Reactions
Korea: Anger, Worry, Criticism
-More than 60 percent of South Koreans oppose giving a neutral name to the East Sea, a survey said. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Christian Broadcasting System (CBS) on Jan. 8, 61.8 percent of the respondents said they object to renaming the East Sea, while 26.6 percent support the idea.
-The main opposition Grand National Party criticized the proposal for being `naïve’ and ‘irresponsible.’ Korean Internet users also flooded message boards with criticism that Mr. Roh had given up Korea’s sovereign right to name the sea as it desired. Critics say renaming the East Sea could give Tokyo a chance to bolster its claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.
Japan: Neglect, objection
-Mr. Abe took it at its face value ― a passing suggestion ― and opposed the idea. And the two governments ensured that Mr. Roh’s comments were not regarded as official and agreed not to make them public. (However media reported the suggestion was official, and Abe objected to it).
Others: Obsevation
-Mr Roh has been a frequent critic of Japan over its wartime past, accusing Tokyo of failing to repent fully for its colonial conduct. Rivalry between the two nations has often flared into angry words. (BBC)
3. East Sea
-The name of the body of water between South Korea and Japan is a bone of contention between the two countries. The sea became widely known as the ‘Sea of Japan’ during Japan's colonization of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and its defeat in World War II in 1945. S. Korea says it has been called the East Sea for centuries. Although Sea of Japan is the commonly used term to refer to the sea amongst the international community, both North Korea and South Korea have advocated for a different name to be used. South Korea has argued that it should be called the "East Sea"; North Korea, the "East Sea of Korea". However neither of these two names has achieved any formal international recognition.
-VANK(Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) has campaigned for renaming of ‘Sea of Japan’
internationally and VANK’s current major appeal is to the International Hydrographic Organization to include East Sea as an official name for the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and the islands of Japan. Their rationale is simple - they claim that the East Sea has as much historical precedent as the Sea of Japan and should be recognized as such. In addition, when a geographic name is disputed, both names are entitled to be used internationally until a solution is determined.
4. Plus
-Some Koreans contend that the international approval of the current name, which came in 1929 while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, was another example of Japan’s efforts to suppress Korea’s history and personality.
-This resulted in a happening but effected on Roh’s regime negatively: politicians/media criticized that ‘unrefined’ and ‘unprepared’ words have been one of the biggest problems of President Roh throughout his tenure
5. Talking Points
-What if Mr. Roh suggested it officially? How do you think about Japan’s reaction?
-If the sea is called ‘peace’, would it be harmful to our national profit really?
-If we say peace to chauvinists such as Japanese militarists, does it mean giving up nationality?
-As a Korean, when your nationalism confronts with peace do you take your side in peace?
