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With 

support from the Ministry of Education, the Northeast Asian History Foundation held an exhibition about Dokdo titled "The Beautiful Korean island Dokdo" at Yongsan train station in Seoul between the 17th and 23rd of April 2017. To call public attention to Japan's constant provocations involving Dokdo, the South Korean government designated a week in April as "Dokdo Education Week" and hosted various events for the occasion, one of which was the exhibition. Held for the second time after the first in 2016, the exhibition was to serve as an opportunity to demonstrate Korea's determination toward guarding Dokdo and accurately communicate that history, geography, and international law all support the fact that Dokdo is without doubt an inherent territory of Korea. The exhibition's opening ceremony was attended by the Vice Minister of Education Lee Young as well as NAHF President Kim Ho-sup and other staff at the Foundation. During the ceremony, President Kim Ho-sup stressed that "helping Koreans know more about Dokdo and thereby strengthening their affection for the island and their determination to protect it is the most effective way of responding to Japan's provocations over Dokdo."

The Beautiful Korean Island Dokdo

The 2017 exhibition was arranged into two zones, one devoted to presenting the history of Dokdo and the other to offering various experiences related to the island's natural features. The history zone provided a straightforward introduction to the history of Dokdo and how that history has been distorted by Japan. Many who came across the display about distorted claims over Dokdo published in Japanese elementary, middle, and high school textbooks deeply sympathized with the importance of maintaining a nationwide interest in the island.

The virtual reality video featured at this year's exhibition showed a 6.44-minute-long collection of moving images shot close up at 25 different locations around the Dokdo's two main islets Dongdo and Seodo. The high definition video's wide, steady view proved to be an unparalleled experience that captivated the audience. For those who may find it difficult to personally visit the island, the video gave an opportunity to enjoy the diverse natural features and ecology of Dokdo. The video is now being shown at Dokdo Museum Seoul for those who missed the opportunity to enjoy it at the exhibition.

Another popular attraction at the 2017 exhibition was the sharp, exquisite visuals presented through the works by prominent astronomy photographer Kwon O Chul. The video that used time-lapse photography to produce fantastic views of Dokdo and the galaxy as well as the photograph titled "The Sunrise Embracing Dokdo Captured from Ulleungdo" that used trigonometric functions to realize a description of the islands Dokdo and Ulleungdo in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty featured a splendid combination of history, science, and nature that visitors found difficult to take their eyes off.

Meanwhile, many citizens also enjoyed watching the fifty-minute animation titled "The Dokdo Guard Gangchi." It tells the story about the adventures of a sea lion named Gangchi and his friends who know nothing of their past and live as circus performers until a black-tailed seagull from Dokdo calls for help in stopping the bad octopus Amur from invading the island to take over the "burning ice." The animation conveys plenty of facts about Dokdo's history, natural inhabitants, and economy and kindles a natural urge to protect the island.

Experiencing Dokdo in Everyday Life

Around 9,400 people visited this year's exhibition, a number way exceeding the total of 7,500 from last year that indicates a rise in the amount of interest Dokdo has been gaining. What is encouraging is that the exhibition managed to engage people enough to approach the staff on site to ask questions about the actions South Korea and Japan are each taking toward Dokdo. This year's exhibition therefore seems to have succeeded in assisting people to develop a better understanding of why the island is Korean territory, but it was a pity that the exhibition's duration was short.

Japan insisted that Dokdo was a "no man's land" in order to take over the island during the Russo-Japanese War and continues to claim sovereignty over the island to this day. What is more grave is that Japan has recently revised its curriculum guidelines for elementary and middle schools and has been reinforcing descriptions about arguments claiming Japan's sovereignty over Dokdo in elementary, middle, and high school textbooks. Under these circumstances, this year's exhibition has been a chance for the people of South Korea to gain a more solid understanding of why their government is certain that Dokdo has inherently been Korean territory.

Getting to know and love Dokdo is the ultimate solution to neutralizing Japan's provocations and defending Korea's territorial sovereignty over the island. This is what the Northeast Asian History Foundation will focus on as it reviews this year's exhibition's performance and forms plans for future exhibitions. The Foundation will continue to seek opportunities to present the history and significance of Dokdo at spaces with lots of pedestrian traffic to make Dokdo-related experiences readily available to the public.