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There is a dispute over the name of the sea bordered by Russia, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. The Koreas and Japan disagree over its international name.

North Korea proposes the "East Sea of Korea" and South Korea proposes the "East Sea", or the "Sea of Korea", respectively, instead of or as concurrent names with the "Sea of Japan".

Arguments

South Korean groups advocate "East Sea" as a more neutral name that should be restored. The Koreas contend that the title "Sea of Japan" was unfairly standardized during Japanese rule of Korea, and thus remains a symbol of Japan's imperialistic past. South Korea insists on the name "East Sea", claiming that the sea was known as "Sea of Korea/Corea/Joseon" or "East/Oriental Sea" until Japan's militant expansionism. Korea argues that during the critical period for asserting the name East Sea in the international arena, Korea was deprived of its sovereignty, and had no diplomatic representation on the global stage. Koreans were even denied the use of their native language (1938~), and forced to adopt Japanese names (1940~), while time-honored Korean geographical names including the East Sea (Donghae - 동해/東海) were changed to Japanese ones. Korea's position is that while "Sea of Korea" is actually the more common historical European name, "East Sea," without reference to a specific country, is more neutral.

Since the 1990s, South Korea has increased efforts to change the official international name. The North Korean government supports South Korea's position, but uses "East Sea of Korea" in its English publications.

The Japanese government insists that the name "Sea of Japan" had internationally established itself as a single name by the early 19th century during a period in which Japan was under the isolation policy (Sakoku). Accordingly, they state, Japan could at that time have had no influence on the international community in regards to the naming of the sea. Therefore, the claim by the Koreas that the name is a "remnant of colonialism" in the early 20th century is completely groundless and changing it based on the incorrect recognition cannot be accepted.

Both sides in the dispute have put forward a number of arguments to support their claim. Some of these arguments are not supported by the respective governments, but rather by nationalist organizations. Around 2002, the volunteer Korean online organization VANK began an aggressive e-mail campaign aimed at webmasters, with some success but also backlash from supporters of Japan's position.

Geographical reasons

Japanese groups argue that as a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean separated by the Japanese Archipelago, the sea should be named for Japan. Of the nine other marginal seas, two are named for the marginal feature. Korea argues that the adjective “East” perfectly describes its geographical position east of Asia. Similar nomenclature for a body of water can be found, for example, in the North Sea, which is north of the European continent.

Historical reasons

Both sides use a selective sample of old European maps to support their claim. South Koreans point to maps that show "Sea of Korea" or "East Sea", whereas the Japanese point to maps that show "Sea of Japan" to argue that the name was in use before the rise of Japanese imperialism. Many old maps are ambiguous and some even do not include Korea or Japan.

Japanese groups claim that the term "Sea of Japan" was originally named by Westerners and became the de-facto standard before Japan gained commercial and political influence in the region. Part of the dispute boils down to the disagreement over when "Sea of Japan" became the de facto standard. Japanese groups claim dates in the early 19th century, whereas Korean groups claim dates in the early 20th century when Korea was colonized by Japan.

Korea points out that even a few 19th century Japanese maps referred to the sea as the "Sea of Joseon (Korea)", including the 1855 Matsuda Rokuzan's Chikyubankoku zenzu (松田 緑山の地球萬國 全圖？), and the 1870 Meiji kaitei bankoku yochibunzu (明治 改訂 万國 輿地分図？). Additionally, in several Japanese maps, the Pacific Ocean was called "日本海"(Japan Sea), and Sea of Japan was called "朝鮮海"(Chosen Sea).

Ownership

Some Koreans argue that "Sea of Japan" implies ownership over an international body of water. Japanese counter by saying that the name of a body of water does not imply ownership and is merely a name, mentioning some seas that contains a country's name such as Indian Ocean, South China Sea, East China Sea and Korea Strait. Some Koreans argue that the name "Sea of Japan" is related to ownership because it was the Japanese delegates who submitted the name to the IHB when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule.

Ambiguity

Japanese groups claim that the name "East Sea" is not suitable as an international geographic name, because it could refers to various places including the neighboring East China Sea. Much of this argument is based on translations of local names into English. Commonly cited potential confusions are the Vietnamese local language name for the South China Sea, "Bien Dong", which literally means "East Sea", or the Baltic Sea which in many European languages is called the equivalent of "East Sea". The Koreans state that this is irrelevant as there are other geographical places that share similar or the same name.

It is also argued by Japanese that "East Sea" is a mere translation of the local Korean name "Donghae", and thus not really an English name per se. However, Korea's argument for "East Sea" stems from the term's use in European maps, not as a translation of the local name.

Inconsistency

South Korea refers to the water south of the Korean Peninsula as in the Korean language as "Namhae", which means "South Sea". A part of this area of "Namhae" is included in the sea that is referred to as the "Sea of Japan" in the current guideline S-23 (third edition, 1953). This means that the body of water that South Korea claims to call "East Sea" internationally includes a part of the water which South Korea in the Korean language, but not internationally, calls "South Sea". Japan argues that this kind of inconsistency can also be a problem to navigational safety.

Precedence

Some Japanese groups insist that renaming or showing both simultaneously runs counter to the spirit of geographic standardization and will be a troubling precedent. Since the name "Sea of Japan" is the internationally established name, some people think renaming is an unnecessary complication. Koreans disagree stating that setting the name right is more important.

Historical developments of the dispute

• At the 1919 meeting of the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB) to officially determine international names of bodies of water, Japanese delegates submitted the name "Sea of Japan" . At the time, Korea could not participate because it was under Japanese occupation. The "Sea of Japan" had been used almost exclusively on international maps, although the parties disagree on when and which name was previously prevalent.

• In 1928, Limits of Oceans and Seas, the first edition of the guideline by the IHB, adopted the "Japan Sea", among many other geographical names.

• In 1957, South Korea joined IHO.

• Since the early 1970's, South Koreans have argued against the "Sea of Japan" name.

• In 1974, IHO released technical resolution A.4.2.6 independently of this dispute. This resolution is frequently referred to, although it only gives general guidance. It endorses the principle that when the sharing countries of a geographical feature do not agree on a common name, the different names should be recognized simultaneously.

• In 1977, the third UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) adopted resolution III/20 entitled "Names of Features beyond a Single Sovereignty". The resolution recommended:

"when countries sharing a given geographical feature do not agree on a common name, it should be a general rule of cartography that the name used by each of the countries concerned will be accepted. A policy of accepting only one or some of such names while excluding the rest would be inconsistent as well as inexpedient in practice."

• In 1986, Draft for the fourth edition of the guideline of IHO, Limits of Oceans and Seas (S-23), was completed and the "Sea of Japan" appeared as a sole appellation. South Korea did not raise an objection against the name "Sea of Japan."

• In 1992, South Korea raised the issue at the sixth UNCSGN. Japan objected and the issue was not addressed.

• In 1995, South Korea deleted "Japan Sea" from its official nautical charts. Before then, South Korea's nautical charts showed both "Japan Sea" and "Tong Hae" (the then used romanization of "Donghae"), out of respect for international conventions.

• In 1997, South Korea raised the issue again at the seventh UNCSGN and Japan opposed. The issue was not addressed but the resolution III/20 was recollected, which urges Japan and South Korea to reach a consensus. To date, however, neither country is willing to compromise their position, although Korea suggests that both names be used until the dispute is resolved.

• In 2002, South Korea raised the issue again at the eighth UNCSGN. Japan objected again and the issue was not addressed.

• In 2002, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) distributed a circular letter asking for a vote for omitting pages containing the Sea of Japan from the fourth edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas. After Japan's objection, the IHO withdrew the letter.

• On April 23 2004, the United Nations affirmed in a written document to the Japanese government that it will continue using the name "Sea of Japan" in its official documents. However, it has agreed to leave the topic open for further discussion. In a letter to South Korea, it was explained that the UN was not determining the validity of either name, but using the currently most widely used term until the parties resolved the disagreement.

• In 2006, members of the National Assembly of South Korea started promotion of "Sea of Korea" as an international name instead of "East Sea" and is making efforts for the submission to IHO.

Current stance of the international organizations

The United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) have so far neither accepted nor denied Korea's claims, but left the issue open to discussion while continuing to use "Sea of Japan". The United Nations confirmed its adoption of "Sea of Japan" in its official documents in March 2004, , but also stated that "the practice of the UN Secretariat is to use, in the absence of an internationally agreed standard, the most widespread and generally recognized denomination. This practice is without any prejudice to the position of any Member State of the United Nations on a particular appellation and does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations. The use of an appellation by the Secretariat based on the practice is without prejudice to any negotiations or agreements between the interested parties and should not be interpreted as advocating or endorsing any party’s position, and can in no way be invoked by any party in support of a particular position in the matter."

IHO and UNSCGN resolutions endorse the principle of the simultaneous use of different names when countries sharing a geographical feature do not agree on a common name.

Response of media and publishers

Some publishers and media outlets have responded to the dispute by either adopting both names on maps, or—in very rare cases—leaving the area blank, until a consensus can be reached between Japan and Korea.

• In 1997, Rand McNally, one of the largest mapmakers in the United States, adopted a policy of concurrent use of both names, "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan".

• In 1999, the National Geographic Society recognized that the name was legitimately disputed by South Korea. Under its policy (if a geographical feature is shared by more than one nation, and its name is disputed, use the most commonly recognized form of the name first and label the disputed name in parentheses), "Sea of Japan" appears as the primary label and "East Sea" appears below in parentheses.

• Many other publishers have responded similarly, such as The Times (of London), Financial Times, Encyclopedia Britannica, Microsoft Encarta, Columbia Encyclopedia, World Book Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary, World Atlas, and About.com, usually including "East Sea" as the secondary label.

• In 2003, the French Defense Ministry issued nautical maps included both terms "Sea of Japan" and "East Sea". It set back to "Sea of Japan" as a mono-name in the map issued in 2004.

• The World Factbook published by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States announced to follow the guidance of the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN).

Historical maps and studies

• (SK) In July 2001, Korea produced a report on the names used on maps published in Europe, mostly in the 18th century, possessed by the British Library, claiming that of 90 maps which name the sea, 62 refer to it as "Sea of Korea", 8 as "East Sea", 2 as both "Sea of Korea" and "East Sea", and 10 use "Sea of Japan". (Focus of Research: 18th century)

• (SK) In December 2002, South Korea produced a report on the names used on 228 maps published prior to 1800 that are held by the U.S. Library of Congress, claiming that two-thirds of the maps naming the sea used "East Sea", "Sea of Korea", or variants. Of the 103 maps that named the sea, the report claims 66 percent named it "Sea of Korea" and/or "East Sea" or variants. (Focus of Research: 18th century)

• (J) In September 2003, Japan produced a report on the names used on maps published in Europe between 1801 and 1861 possessed by the British Library and the University of Cambridge, claiming that in the British Library, of 37 maps containing the areas surrounding the sea, 32 or 86.5% used "Sea of Japan" and 5 used "Sea of Korea". In the University of Cambridge, it found 21 maps containing the areas surrounding the sea, of which 18 or 85.7% used "Sea of Japan" and 3 used "Sea of Korea". (Focus of Research: First half of the 19th century)

• (J) In March 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan published a report with the list of maps it investigated on the investigation of maps at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The study claims that from the 1,495 maps possessed by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and published between the 16th and 19th century show that of 407 maps for which a name was recorded, 249, or 61% bore the name "Sea of Japan" and 60, or 15% bore the name "Sea of Korea". It found no maps that bore the name "East Sea". Furthermore, the report claims, of the maps published in the first half of the 19th century, 90.0% or 99 maps bore the name "Sea of Japan" and of the maps published in the latter half of the 19th century 100% or 105 maps bore the same name. Japan objects to translating "Oriental Sea" in various European languages as the equivalent of the "East Sea" in English. (Focus of Research: 16th~19th centuries)

• (J) In July 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan published a report of the investigation it conducted on the dispute. According to the report, the investigators from Geographical Survey Institute of Japan looked into maps published between 1300 and 1900 U.S. that are held by the Library of Congress and from 1,435 maps which mention the disputed sea, 1,110 maps use "Sea of Japan". (Focus of Research: 14th~19th centuries)

• (SK) South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries website states that by its count, of 763 historic maps in various government and university libraries worldwide, 440 maps use "Sea of Korea", "East Sea", or variants, and 123 use "Sea of Japan" or variants. (retrieved October 2005). This report includes a reference to the 2002 University of Southern California's " Sea of Korea maps digital archive".(Focus of Research: All of Cartographic History)

See also

• Korean-Japanese disputes
• Dokdo
• Persian Gulf naming dispute

External links

• East Sea Map Study — by the Korean Overseas Information Service
• Society for East Sea, Seoul National University
• "Naming of "Japan Sea"". Japan Coast Guard
• Sea of Japan — Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs defends the use of "Sea of Japan".
• Sea of Japan - A Globally Established Name (Video Clips)

References

1. http://www.mofat.go.kr/pdffiles/Eastsea6.pdf
2. ^ Japan's Claims Are Neither Compelling Nor Justifiable, The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of South Korea
3. Change of the names adopted in the Foreign Maps, Japan Coast Guard
4. Transition of Sea of China, Japan, Korea, and Oriental Sea, MOFA of Japan 2005
5. Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the "Japan Sea", Japan Coast Guard
6. http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/ungegn/session-20/working-papers/working-paper-48.pdf
7. IHO Limits of Oceans and Seas, The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
8. Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the "Japan Sea" 2 (3), Japan Coast Guard
9. The Historical precedent for the "East Sea", VANK
10. Why the 'Sea of Korea'?, Daum, 2006-1-24
11. 한반도 우측 바다는 '일본해', iTimes, 2006-03-28
12. 민족정기모임 `동해찾기' 운동 본격화, Yahoo! Korea, 2006-01-22
13. The Policy of the United Nations Concerning the Naming of "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, June 2004
14. The Practice of the Secretariat of the United Nations Concerning the Naming of the Sea Area between Korea and Japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
15. East Sea, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
16. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/updates/seaofjapan.html
17. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002399?query=East%20Sea&ct
18. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/search.aspx?q=East+Sea&Submit2=Go
19. http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861672742/East_Sea.html
20. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0825981.html
21. http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Article?id=ar285620
22. http://www.bartleby.com/61/68/J0016800.html
23. http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/eastsea.htm
24. Q&A on the Issue of the Name "Sea of Japan", The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, February 2003
25. Examples of Concurrent Use of The East Sea/Sea of japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
26. フランス海軍海洋情報部刊行の海図目録－「日本海」単独標記に－, Japan Coast Guard, 2004-7-13
27. The World Factbook FAQ: Policies and Procedures: Factbook uses Sea of Japan whereas other publications label it East Sea. What is your policy on naming geographic features?, The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States
28. http://www.korea.net/news/issues/html/eastsea_world_3.html
29. http://www.korea.net/News/Issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=350&title=East%20Sea%20Map%20Study
30. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-f.html
31. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-l1.html
32. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-l1.html#2
33. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-f.html
34. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-2f.pdf
35. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-2l.pdf
36. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study.html
37. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-4.html
38. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-3.html English abstract
39. http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/nihonkai_k/usa/pdfs/maplist.pdf
40. http://www.mofat.go.kr/me/me_a009/me_b035/me09_01.jsp
41. http://www.usc.edu/libraries/collections/sea_of_korea/

• Japanese-Korean relations
• Geography of Japan
• Geography of South Korea
• Geography of North Korea
• Geographical naming disputes