Dokdo, Beautiful Island of Korea | MOFA Republic of Korea

Q&A on Dokdo

Questions and Answers on Dokdo
The following 15 questions and answers provide clear and accurate explanations as to why Dokdo is an integral part of Korea’s territory, historically, geographically, and under international law.

How do early Korean government publications describe Dokdo? What does the Inshū Shichō Gakki (Records on Observations in Oki Province), one of the earliest Japanese texts referring to Dokdo, say about the island? How is Dokdo portrayed in early Japanese maps? What is the Tottori-han’s Submission, which revealed that Dokdo was not Japanese territory at the time of the Ulleungdo Dispute between Korea and Japan? What is the significance of An Yong-bok’s activities with regard to Dokdo? What is the Repatriation Policy set forth by the government of Joseon (Korea)? What is the Dajōkan Order of 1877, by which the Meiji government officially confirmed that Dokdo was not Japanese territory? What is the Imperial Decree No. 41 of 1900, by which the Emperor of Korea placed Dokdo under the jurisdiction of Ulleungdo? What was the backdrop against which Japan issued the Shimane Prefecture Public Notice No. 40 of 1905, and does this notice carry legal validity under international law? What did Sim Heung-taek, the county magistrate of Uldo-gun (Ulleungdo), report to the acting governor of Gangwon-do regarding Dokdo in 1906? What are the terms of the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which laid out the basic position of the Allied Powers on Japan’s territorial boundaries after World War II? What was the position of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers as regards Dokdo when World War II came to an end in 1945? What are the provisions of the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan regarding Dokdo? What was the Korean government's response to its Japanese counterpart's proposal in 1954 to refer the issue of Dokdo to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? How is the Republic of Korea exercising its sovereignty over Dokdo?