뉴스레터

There are two people respected as heroes in their countries. They are AHN Yong-bok and Aizuya Hachiemon.

In April 1693, AHN Yong-bok met Japanese fishermen in Ulleungdo, an island located to the northwest of Dokdo island. AHN Yong-bok went to Japan with the fishermen and stayed there for 7 months. Details are not known about his journey, but according to the Annals of King Sukjong, "AHN Yong-bok went to Japan and he made it clear that Ulleungdo and Jasando (Dokdo) belong to Joseon (then Korea) and the Japanese official gave him a document recognizing the territorial rights of Korea to those islands." It is a record claiming Korea's sovereignty over the islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

In May 1696, AHN Yong-bok went to Japan again. The Lord of Dottori Prefecture strongly confirmed to AHN Yong-bok that he would never again allow Japanese people to intrude into the two islands. In the following August, AHN Yong-bok left Japan and arrived at Yangyang-hyeon, Gangwon-do, Korea. He was arrested there and the Governor of Gangwon-do Province investigated him. AHN Yong-bok was about to be sentenced to death for his violation of the national law. Then, he was saved from the death penalty and was sent into exile thanks to appeals of First Minister NAM Gu-man and Chief of Bureau of Royal Relatives YOON Ji-Wan. No record has been found about his life after exile.

Aizuya Hachiemon crossed the sea to Ulleungdo in 1824 for the first time. His father Seisuke once met wild winds and waves on the sea. His father was found by a Dutch ship and could be saved by them from a drifting boat. Then his father wandered around various countries around the world for three years before he came back to Nagasaki. Hachiemon heard his father's stories about foreign countries and began to dream about sailing distantly and trading with people in foreign countries. He decided to cross over to Jukdo (Ulleungdo) to prepare the fund for this purpose. He persuaded Garo and other officials of Hamada Prefecture, saying that "if he could go to Jukdo and cut trees and bring marine products, it would bring benefits to Hamada Prefecture and also his father would regain reputation by compensating the prefecture for the loss that his father inflicted on the prefecture." He crossed the sea and the fact became known to the Shogunate government. In 1836 Hachiemon was put to death and heavy punishments were given to other people relating to his voyage.

After this incident, a public notice was announced on the notice boards erected in every village of the country. "Ulleungdo was once an island where people from Yonago of Hoki went fishing. But, the shogunate government handed it over to Korea during the Kenroku period. Sailing across to the island has been forbidden since then. Crossing the sea to a foreign country is strictly forbidden, so people must not sail over to the island."

How did the fates of the two people affect the question of the title to Dokdo?

Lowly people at that time like AHN Yong-bok and Hachiemon could not even dream of the ventures that they boldly attempted.

One person got involved in territorial sovereignty and the other person attempted a sea crossing over to a foreign country with an intention of doing international trade. Both of them were supposed to be put to death.

However, some kind of flexibility seems to have existed in the rule of the Korean dynasty. NAM Gu-man and YOON Ji-wan could speak in defence of AHN Yong-bok, and LEE Ik praised him as a hero. According to a Japanese scholar, AHN Yong-bok's claim that "both Ulleungdo and Jasando belong to Korea" was directly reflected in such books as 『Yeojido (Atlas of Korea)』 『Ganggyego (A History on the Borders)』 『Donggukmunheonbigo (Reference Compilation of Documents on Korea)』 『Mangiyoram (Ten Thousand Techniques for Government, also translated as A Manual for the Government)』authored by YOO Hyang-won and SHIN Gyeong-jun. These books are used as the historical basis for Korea's claim for its territorial right to Dokdo, so one can say that the seeds scattered by AHN Yong-bok have sprouted in the garden of Korea.

On the contrary, Japan was different in dealing with the case of Hachiemon. No ordinary people could escape the tight net of ruling power constructed by the mighty force of the sword. Crossing the sea was strictly banned by an order of the shogunate government, and the irrevocable order was passed to the newly born Meiji Government.

※ 'History Essay' is written by a research fellow at the Foundation without restriction on the format and content. _ Editor