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  There is a section in the “Nature of Dokdo” exhibition hall in the Dokdo Museum Seoul(run by the Northeast Asian History Foundation) that introduces the ocean currents of the sea surrounding Korea. According to the description of the exhibition, people from Geomundo Island and Jeju haenyeo (women divers) went to Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo for fishery activities such as making ships and collecting seaweeds. The residents of Geomundo Island were skilled at sailing and went to Ulleungdo Island to collect seaweeds even before the reclamation policy of Ulleungdo Island in 1882. We can learn about this from the 1962 interview with Kim Yun-sam published on the Minguk Ilbo and a monument for Jeju haenyeo. The monument was erected to commemorate the contribution of haenyeo who went to Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo to harvest sea life from the ocean. From Apr. 27 to 30, I visited Yeosu, Chodo Island, and Geomundo Island to find their relativity with Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo along with the employees of the Dokdo Museum Seoul.

The people from Chodo Island Lee Gyu-won met in Ulleungdo Island

  Unlike on-land site investigations, a site investigation of islands requires more time as it must be arranged in line with the sailing schedule. Chodo Island is such a place. We stopped by at Chodo Island while heading to Geomundo Island from the Yeosu Coastal Ferry Terminal. Chodo Island is an island part of Yeosu and takes two hours to get to the island from the Yeosu Coastal Ferry Terminal. According to the The Diary of Inspection on Ulleungdo Island, out of the 140 residents in Ulleungdo Island Lee Gyo-won met, 115 are from Jeolla-do. And 56 of those residents are from Chodo Island. From this, we can learn that 82% of residents in Ulleungdo Island are from Jeolla-do and the Chodo residents frequently visited Ulleungdo Island. Thus, we, the site investigation team, hoped there would be records of Ulleungdo Island(or Dokdo) remaining at Chodo Island and planned a one-day visit. But when we arrived, there were no related records or traces.

  Although we could not visit due to the schedule, we learned that there are detailed records of people in The Diary of Inspection on Ulleungdo Island on the Ulleungdo Island & Dokdo Reclamation Monument erected in Uiseong-ri, Chodo Island. The monument details that 56 people from Chodo Island who migrated to Ulleungdo Island were “Kim Geun-seo and 19 assistants and soldiers, Kim Nae-yeon and 12 assistants and soldiers, and Kim Gye-yeon and 22 assistants and soldiers.” The Diary of Inspection on Ulleungdo Island indicates that the family name of those who migrated to Ulleungdo Island was all Kim. This left us with hopes to find more detailed records when investigating the genealogical records or documents about the Kim family living in Chodo Island.

Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo found in Geomundo Island

  Geomundo is famous for “Sea Shanty of Geomundo Island.” There is also a folk song that has been being passed down for 400 years between the residents of Seodo-ri called “Geomundo Sulbisori.” This song is a work song that was sung by the people of Geomundo Island while they twisted ropes needed for fishing. Verses of this labor song include “I am headed to Ulleungdo Island.” and “I cried in Ulleungdo Island and now I'm leaving.” Examining the verses of “Geomundo Sulbisori” tells us that the residents of Geomundo Island migrated to Ulleungdo Island a long time ago. These details can also be seen in the records of late Kim Byeong-sun and the oral statements of Kim Yun-sam, Park Un-hak, and Lee Gwi-sun.

  There are also traces of Geomundo Island from designations in Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo. “Seokdo” in the Imperial Decree No. 41 originates from “Dokseom,” a Jeolla Province dialect word for “Dolseom,” which is also introduced at the Dokdo Museum Seoul. The current dolseom(rocky island) offshore of Ocheon-ri, Goheung-gun is also called “Dokdo.” There is a stone named “Bochal” in Dokdo which is a Geomundo Island's dialect for goose neck barnacles. Also, the word “jakji” has been passed down in Ulleungdo Island, a Geomundo dialect word for pebble covered field. In conclusion, designations and dialect words of Jeolla-do can be found in Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo which give us an idea of the exchange between the two regions.

  Another achievement of the site investigation is the discovery of Oh Seong-il’s grave, who was from Geomundo Island and the first magistrate of Ulleungdo Island. There is a debate on whether Oh Seong-il did serve as the magistrate. His activities from appointed as a “magistrate” of Ulleungdo Island need to be verified by cross-examining other records. We thought that someone from Seodo-ri, Geomundo Island appointed as a magistrate would be well-known but he was not a widely known figure. No one has been to the grave of Oh Seong-il. We were able to find his grave with some difficulty by looking at the map. Villagers say that Oh Seong-ill was not a man of great erudition or wealth. He was known to be personable and have a strong physique. He was acknowledged for handling many affairs at the Geomunjin Fort. He took Joseon soldiers who stayed for two years after the establishment of the Geomunjin Fort when they withdrew.

A new resolution and future tasks

  Historical records of An Yong-bok include details of Noe Heon, a Buddhist monk at Heungguksa Temple in Yeosu, and his companions. I wanted to examine the records of Noe Heon at Heungguksa Temple, Yeosu during this site investigation. But we couldn’t make the trip to the temple as there wasn’t transportation available with our schedule. We decided to make the trip next time since Yeosu is easy to reach compared to Geomundo Island and Chodo Island.

Our site investigation team studied many materials before visiting Geomundo Island and Chodo Island. We continued having discussions until late at night even during our site investigation. Through our site investigation, more specific traces of Geomundo Island and Chodo Island at Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo began to be visible. Our site investigation was a meaningful time that allowed our employees at the Dokdo Museum Seoul to build their competencies. We resolved to make detailed plans and to make outcomes for the questions that were not answered this time and completed our site investigation.