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NAHF Dokdo Research Institute held the Dokdo Colloquium on October 27 under the theme of 'Cooperation between Dokdo Research Institutes and Plans to Activate Interdisciplinary Research'. NAHF, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Korea Maritime Institute, Researchers on Dokdo in Yeungnam University participated in this colloquium. This was also conducted as a video conference, followed by opening ceremony, topic presentation, and comprehensive discussion. The topic presentation was divided into two parts, and the current status and tasks of each research field were mainly included.

Part 1 History and Geography

The first speaker was Park Ji-young, a research professor at Yeungnam University. The theme was 'Research results and future tasks related to Ahn Yong-bok's case'. Park summarized the current status of research in Korea and Japan on the An Yong-bok case, and the results of research in history and international law. In addition, for the deepening study in this field, it is said that Ahn Yong-bok and his group's activities and fishery activities in Ulleungdo after the mid-Joseon period should be studied.

Baek In-gi, a researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute, presented the main issues of research on the system that governs Ulleungdo and the direction of future research. Baek spoke about the history, cycle, and issues of the system of the Joseon Dynasty, which governed the territory. He also said that it is necessary to find records that ruled the coastal areas of Gangwon Province and Jeolla Province, and to study the ancient documents. Baek argued that the study of land governance system will contribute to the full extent of Japanese invasion of Ulleungdo and Dokdo after the end of the 19th century.

There were also presentations that reviewed the existing studies and raised the necessity of rigorous interpretation of literature. The theme of researcher Lee Won-taek of NAHF was 'description of Shin Kyung-joon about Usando and Ulleungdo, and its influence'. Lee compared and reviewed the various ancient texts related to Usando and Ulleungdo in 「Gangyego(疆界考)」 written by Shin Kyung-joon. Based on this, he claimed that 'Yeo Ji-ji' quoted by Shin Kyung-joon in Gangyego was 'Dongguk Yeo Ji-ji' by Yoo Hyeong-won.

Professor Song Hwi-young of Yeungnam University examined the research trends of the literature compiled by the government of modern Japan such as Taejunggwan, Foreign Ministry, and Ministry of Interior during the Meiji period. Through the correlation of the subject compiled the literature, it was examined how the Japanese government's perception of Dokdo appeared. And Song said we should analyze the annex of the literature strictly.

Park Han-min, a researcher at NAHF, summarized the activities of the Development Commissioner for the Southern Islands in the 1880s. Park reviewed the origin of the Development Commissioner and the scope of the Southeast Islands. And he introduced the 『甲斐軍治索債案件』 owned by the Kyujangak Institute for Korean Studies of Seoul National University as a new resource to restore the activity of the Development Commission for the Southern Islands.

Research professor Lee Tae-woo of Yeungnam University introduced the achievements of the projects that included the oral statement of Geomundo and Chodo people who traveled to Ulleungdo and Dokdo from the end of the 19th century. Lee looked at the life of Geomundo and Chodo people in Ulleungdo and Dokdo. He also said that it is necessary to record the oral statement of the elderly survivors living in Geomundo and Chodo, the academic research group on Ulleungdo and Dokdo of the Corean Alpine Club, the Dokdo Volunteer Forces, and the Dokdo Security Police.

The theme presented by Kim Jong-geun, a researcher at NAHF, is 'Korea's old map in overseas collection and Dokdo'. Kim classified the types of Korean Old Maps owned by the Library of Congress(U.S.) and the British Library and introduced various types of maps with 'Usandodo'. He also said that a domestic map with a geographical name was found in Hangeul. And Kim emphasized that the collection and investigation of the Korean Old Map in overseas collection should continue.

Part 2 International Law and Ocean Science

Part 2 The first presenter was Hong Sung-geun, a researcher at NAHF. Hong analyzed the claim, refutation, and issue of the sovereignty of Dokdo by the Korean and Japanese governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He reminded attendees that although the major issues of the past are not different from today, the arguments and interpretations have changed according to the discovery of historical resources such as the Taejunggwan Order. It is important to discover new historical resources.

Do Si-hwan, a researcher at NAHF, reviewed the issues of international law related to the sovereignty over Dokdo based on the Treaty of San Francisco. He said that Japan's claim of sovereignty over Dokdo on the premise of the Treaty of San Francisco is contrary to the basic policy of the Allied countries after the war. And Do pointed out that it violates the peace cooperation system through liquidation after the war.

Three researchers from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology presented the topic of ocean law and ocean science. First, Kim Won-hee, a senior researcher at the Ocean Law and Policy Institute, analyzed the history and contents of the fishery relationship between Korea and Japan. Kim also reviewed the performance and limitations of the 1998 Korea-Japan Fisheries Agreement. He said that we should establish countermeasures because Japan wants to make a greater issue of Dokdo by linking fishery issue with territorial issue. He also said that it is necessary to separate Dokdo-related matters and fishery issues.

Park Chan-hong, director of the Dokdo Research Center, introduced the study on marine environment and ecosystem changes around Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Based on this, Park argued that an integrated management system should be established based on knowledge for the use and management of Dokdo.

Kim Yoon-bae, director of Ulleungdo and Dokdo Ocean Research Station, introduced the monitoring activities of aquatic ecosystems around Dokdo and the study on the changes of coastlines using drones. He suggested that night lighting facilities and stairs should be installed at the Dokdo Dock to improve the safety of ships entering and leaving Dokdo.

Expect Active Cooperation between Research Institutes

In the Part 3 comprehensive discussion, Chung Young-mi, director of the NAHF Dokdo Institute, presided over. The designated discussions were attended by Yang Hee-cheol, director of the Ocean Law and Policy Institute of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Park Young-gil, director of the Dokdo and Ocean Law Research Center of the Korea Maritime Institute, and Kwak Jin-oh, researcher of NAHF. They discussed ways to promote mutual cooperation and interdisciplinary research between Dokdo research institutes.

Studies on Dokdo are related to various fields such as history, geography, international law, international relations, natural sciences, and policy; therefore, cooperation between institutions or researchers is important. The participants will meet regularly in the future with the Colloquium, which will promote mutual cooperation among institutions and actively engage in academic communication.