뉴스레터

The issue of Gando(間島) was a hot topic in Korea during 2009, when it marked the centennial of the signing of the Gando Convention. There were widespread rumors that sovereignty claims can no longer be made after the centennial of the signing of convention. However, international law community discovered that there is no prescription to sovereignty claims. Since then, study on and interest in Gando, which is now part of China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, has diminished to a large extent. People call this piece of land Yanbian or Yanji(延吉), and think that it belongs to China. Our territory, Gando, is being forgotten.

Gando Convention - the result of Imperialism

Since late 19th century, China had insisted on its sovereignty claims over Gando, and in response, Korea had made the claim that Gando is part of its territory. Such rivalry resulted in a fierce diplomatic war between the two countries.

However, Japan signed the Gando Convention with China in September 1909, in which Japan received South Manchuria railroad concessions and Fushun(撫順) mining rights from China and in return, recognized Chinese claim to Gando. This is one of the most significant events in Korean history, in which Japan and China deprived Korea of its right to Gando.

There were fierce conflicts of interest among countries in the era of Imperialism, and acquisition and deprivation of rights to privileges were not always determined by the countries directly concerned. In this sense, the Gando Convention is the direct result of Imperialism. After World War II, most of the rights illegally infringed during the era of Imperialism have been restored. Yet the issue of Gando is an exception, with the Gando Convention still taking effect. In this regard, scholars and NGOs have constantly claimed that the Gando Convention should be deemed null and void. A civil organization called "Gando Restoration Campaign Center" was established in 2004, and it declared September 4th "the day of Gando." In the same year, a resolution claiming that the Gando Convention is null and void was submitted to the Korean Congress.

There are three justifiable reasons to such claim. First, the Gando Convention was signed between the third parties - Japan and China-, and it does not reflect in any way the will and intention of Korea, who is directly concerned in this matter. Second, Gando is an extended part of the Korean Peninsula: it was the people of Joseon who cultivated the wilderness and developed the area, and their descendants(朝鮮族) still live there. Third, various Korean kingdoms, including Gojoseon, occupied significant parts of Gando and Manchuria. In other words, Gando is more closely related to Korea rather than China, in terms of history, geography and ethnicity. In addition, the border monument erected on Mount Baekdu in 1712 – Baekdu-san Jeonggyebi (白頭山定界碑) - says that Tomun River in the eastern part of Gando serves as the border between Korea and China("東爲土門"). This makes it clear that Gando is Korean territory.

China neither approves of the geographical name "Gando" itself, nor does it acknowledge that there is controversy concerning sovereignty over Gando. Yet China is gravely concerned that Korea continue to raise the issue of Gando. When the Northeast Project (東北工程) was at the center of controversy between Korea and China in 2004, Time Magazine reported on August 17 that Koguryo's ancient borders extend into northern China (= Gando), where nearly 2 million ethnic Koreans now live, and Beijing apparently fears that if North and South Korea were ever to reunite, these Koreans might try to secede from China, reclaiming Koguryo as part of Korea. In the same vein, some argue that China pursues the Northeast Project in order to prevent Korea from making sovereignty claims over Gando, asserting that Koguryo was a part of the greater Chinese nation and not an independent Korean kingdom.

Taking these circumstances into account, it would be the worst-case scenario if Korea claims that Gando is its territory without thorough analysis and China, in turn, would not cooperate in facilitating the reunification of South and North Korea. This is why South Korean government cannot raise the issue of Gando in its diplomatic channel with China.

Realistic Approach and Analysis Required for Gando

Then what should we do about Gando? Korea's sovereignty claims over Gando could have a significant impact on the lives of ethnic Koreans living in Yanbian. As such, we should take a cautious approach that the important thing is extending the living space of Koreans, instead of seeing this issue as a territorial dispute.

What ethnic Koreans in Yanbian worries the most is that China scraps its "Autonomous Prefecture" policy in order to fight Korea's assertions that Gando is Korean territory. If this happens, they cannot preserve their ethnicity: Korean language and culture will disappear in Gando. This will loosen the ties between Gando and Korea, thus resulting in weakening conviction in Korea's sovereignty claims over Gando.

As we attempt to resolve the issue of Gando, we should make sure that we do not provoke China while respecting the lives of ethnic Koreans. We should let them realize their motherland, Korea, supports them so that they do not lose their identity as Koreans. To this end, we should take a realistic approach and carry out research projects studying ethnic Koreans' identity and orientation.

So far, the events of the past dominated the Gando discourse, and at the center was the claim that the Gando Convention is null and void. Also, it seemed as if this is a zero-sum game in which one party wins territory against the other party. Now is the time we look at this issue from a human-oriented perspective, extending the horizons for discussion and pursuing alternatives. We should take into account the limitations we face in reality, while not giving up on our imagination regarding our history in Gando. We need to find out how Korea, China and ethnic Koreans in China can live together in harmony. We should endeavor to find a clue in Gando so that we can resolve this issue. If we forget about Gando, Korean ethnicity will eventually disappear. Also, we should remember that Gando was the epicenter of Korean independence movement under Japanese colonial rule, and our ancestors' efforts there led to independence.