뉴스레터

Recently I had a chance to live with my cousin's family, who had come to Australia to pursue further studies. They stayed in my house for two months until they found a home of their own in Australia. My nephew, in seventh grade, told me at the dinner table one day, "Aunt, it seems that Japanese have great power in Australia". I asked him why, and he said that he had a geography class that day, and the teaching material used the term, "Sea of Japan", instead of "East Sea". He could not make a protest, but someone else said that the teaching material should be corrected. While I was proud of his awareness of this important issue, I also felt bitter because his experience clearly shows the reality I face in Australia.

On January 31, there was a photography exhibit under the title, "Beautiful Islands of Korea in the East Sea". My heart ached when I saw my husband - Go Dong-seok, Chairman of Korean Dokdo Association Incorporated - greet guests into the exhibition hall. We were faced with so many difficulties to hold a photography exhibit about the East Sea here in Australia, and I knew better than anyone else that he had made genuine efforts to resolve the difficulties and finally succeeded in holding the exhibit. I guess that is why my heart ached before I felt moved.

The exhibit was held at the Parliament of New South Wales Fountain Court. It would have been much easier if we chose other venues, but we decided to hold the exhibit at the Parliament because all events held there are officially recorded as part of Australian history. We wanted to leave a record related to Korea and the East Sea in Australian history, and those who visited the exhibition hall were deeply moved.

More than sixty pieces of photography that captured the beauty of Ulleungdo and Dokdo were on display. The exhibit lasted for a month until February 25, and a lot of guests came to see the magnificent photographs and had discussions about the East Sea and Dokdo.

Photography Exhibit marked in the history of Australia

My family immigrated to Australia in 1987, and like many other immigrants, we strived to adapt to Australian society and struggled to settle down. My husband frequently participated in activities to enhance the awareness of Korea, and I have to admit that sometimes I was not at all happy about a husband like that. However, a turning point came in August 2008 that ultimately changed my perspective.

In August 2008, my husband placed advertisements for a protest rally in 15 local newspapers and magazines for Koreans. The rally would take place at Martin Place, Sydney, and the purpose of the rally was to raise public awareness that Dokdo is Korean territory. In the ads, he also announced his plan to hand a letter of protest to the Japanese Consulate General, and encouraged Koreans to take part in the rally. To be frank, I doubted whether people would participate, and whether anything would change because of this small event. To my surprise, more than 150 Koreans came to the rally, and those who could not come that day sent food and drinks to encourage us. I accompanied my husband to the Japanese Consulate General, and we handed in the letter of protest. After that, I became a strong advocate for him and actively supported his projects. It is true that his passion finally moved my heart, but another reason I decided to help my husband is because I knew the harsh reality Koreans face in Australia.

In Korea, students as young as my nephew are aware that Dokdo is Korean territory. Here in Australia, however, not only Australians but also many Korean-Australians know of the East Sea and Dokdo. Most people think it is "the Sea of Japan", not "the East Sea" due to Japan's frequent publicity campaigns, and teaching materials for students contain incorrect information about the East Sea and Dokdo. There has been little progress in such situation, and maybe that is why it is necessary to hold events that raise public awareness of Korea in countries other than Korea, such as the U.S. and Australia.

Special speech commemorating the March 1st Movement in Australia / Photography exhibit, "Beautiful Islands of Korea in the East Sea."

A Small but Significant Cry - "Dokdo is Korean territory!"

In 2010, groups of people in Australia, who love Korea and Dokdo, gathered together and formed a new organization called "Korean Dokdo Association Incorporated(조국사랑 독도사랑 호주연합회)". The photo exhibit was one of the events hosted by Korean Dokdo Association Incorporated, and in May this year, we will invite a Japanese historian with expertise in Dokdo and hold lectures and exhibits. Also, we plan to make brochures about Dokdo and disseminate them to high schools across Australia. We are making our best efforts, and sincerely hope that someday they will be aware of the East Sea and Dokdo, and the teaching materials will be corrected.

Locals here say that Australia is an "isolated" continent. Maybe it is more so because I am an immigrant, but I often think about the feeling of isolation. When Koreans in Australia first started to hold events related to Dokdo, our voice was too faint to hear, and I felt uncertain whether anyone would listen to what we had to say. As Australia has a lot of immigrants from different parts of the world, Australians here greatly appreciate the value of harmony. Against this backdrop, we had to be careful not to provoke any serious conflicts between Koreans and Japanese in Australia, and we felt lonely.

Fortunately, the recent photo exhibit served as a superb opportunity for us to share thoughts and views on the East Sea and Dokdo with more people. One week after the exhibit, on March 1st, Northeast Asian History Foundation President Chung Jae-jeong visited Australia and gave a special speech commemorating the March 1st Independence Movement. My husband said that he could feel how much Korea cares about the Korea-related event in Australia. He was deeply moved and excited that people are finally listening to our voice and the words we speak. With continued interest in and support from many people and various organizations, we will be able to carry out the activities without feeling isolated or exhausted. I trust that we can achieve both harmony and identitiy.