뉴스레터

I left for Dokdo via Ulleungdo on the night of February 27 and returned on March 2. Visiting Dokdo is something most Koreans dream about doing at least once in their lives.

I accompanied the 12th and 13th graduating classes of Dokdo Academy, run by the Dokdo Network, an NGO.

The trip was originally planned to fall of March 1 to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the March 1st Movement. However, the weather forecast was unfavorable. Therefore, the group decided to enter Dokdo on February 28 and carry out the Dokdo Academy graduating ceremony and other events.

Fortunately, the weather was on our side on the 28th. We were able to disembark the ship and enjoy the diverse events organized by the students. Although we could only stay in Dokdo for under half an hour, the students made a declaration invalidating the Eulsa Treaty and the forced annexation of Korea by Japan; read a petition expressing opposition to Japan's attempt to claim Dokdo; and presented gifts to the Dokdo patrol guards. Mun Se-jin, a student from Chung-Ang University, presented a b-boy performance representing Korea's commitment to protecting Dokdo.

We had braved rough waters and seasickness to briefly set foot on the island, but all of us, the students and other visitors, were satisfied. Dokdo was larger than I had imagined. We wrapped up our visit to the Korea's easternmost island. The trip was all the more meaningful in that it had taken place around the anniversary of the March 1st Movement.

Due to inclement weather, the ship could not leave for Mukho Port. We stayed overnight at Dodong Port. Taking advantage of the extra time, we visited the Dokdo Museum, located at about the halfway point on a mountain overlooking the port. The Dokdo Museum was made possible by the donation of the materials collected by Lee Jonghak, who made significant contributions to the study of Dokdo. The exhibition was quite sizeable, comprising ancient maps, photos, and other historical materials related to Dokdo. There were many visitors there.

A Dokdo ad campaign was launched on March 1, 2010, on the CNN electronic billboard in Time Square in Manhattan, New York City. The ad will inform the world that Dokdo is Korean territory. I saw a foreign visitor on March 2 as I was walking along Dodong Port in Ulleungdo.

Are Ulleungdo and Dokdo ready to accommodate overseas visitors and their interest in the area? I felt that the basic infrastructure—tourist facilities, port facilities, and road conditions—was still inadequate. It is important to spread the word that Dokdo is Korean territory. However, just as important is a systematic plan to promote the island's development so that people around the world and Korea's future generations come to see Dokdo not as a disputed territory but as a territory of peace.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, 347,164 people visited Dokdo between 2005 and the end of 2009. The journey to Dokdo is quite arduous. Nevertheless, many Koreans are willing to brave the elements to see Dokdo in person. My trip to Dokdo, too, was arduous yet very meaningful. So long as there are Koreans visiting and caring for Dokdo, Dokdo will not be lonely.