뉴스레터

Territorial disputes and confrontations continue in Northeast Asia recently, including Japan's series of provocative moves over Dokdo and confrontations between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu Dao (釣魚島) in China). They are big stumbling blocks to peace and partnership in Northeast Asia. Against this backdrop, the renowned veteran artist Lee Jong-sang, widely known to Koreans as the first Dokdo painter, was interviewed on September 24, 2012 for his thoughts on our perception and attitude toward Dokdo. Lee is also a Dokdo activist actively engaged in NGOs on Dokdo.

First of all, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview. You are widely known as the first Dokdo painter. What made you interested in Dokdo and motivated your painting of the islets?

I believe that the artist should have insight into the course of history. As one of the leading participants in the April Revolution of 1960, I have always kept in mind the course of history and the wave of changes at that time and tried to reflect my interest in history in my paintings since I was a junior in university. From early on, I didn't like the cookie-cutter works of so called 'traditional Oriental artists' featuring thatched-roof houses or traditional lifestyle/landscape, or Chinese styles. Many of those works didn't take what we call historical reality into consideration and lacked historical conscience. As I decided to embody our history and culture in an art form, I launched into a penniless travel across the country starting from Oepori, Gangwhado. I was going to carry on the Realistic Landscape (眞景山水) spirit of artist Gyeomjae Jeong Seon (鄭敾, 1676 - 1759), who intended to make a realistic portrayal of our land. While traveling the eastern coast of Korea, I learned that even Gyeomjae Jeong Seon had never painted our land Dokdo. Wondering why, I did some research. And in the process, I came to reflect on the meaning of my country, my land, which, combined with my historical consciousness and resistance to reality that I had growing up in the period of upheaval in the modern history of Korea and experiencing such events as the Korean War and the April Revolution of 1960, led to my decision to go for portraying Dokdo on canvas. When I looked for any painter in Japan who might be painting Dokdo, I found no one. This confirmed my decision to paint Dokdo in earnest as a cultural means of defense for our inherent territory.

I understand that you have made several visits to Dokdo and Ulleungdo for your artistic work. When did you start visiting and how many times have you visited those islands? What was the difficulty, if any, you had in visiting Dokdo?

As you said, I have visited Dokdo and Ulleungdo many times. As I recalled for this interview, the count of my visits turned out to be 43 for individual visits and 14 for group visits with my students and NGO members. The count would be higher if I included attempted but failed visits to Dokdo. The most difficult aspect of visiting Dokdo was to predict the weather. Before I leave for Dokdo, I always tell the students or members in my company that it's not that we go to Dokdo but that Dokdo accepts us. I remind them that we should make mental preparation to have respect for Dokdo first before we could enter it. Other difficult aspects of visiting Dokdo might be associated with costs and prevention of accidents because we move together as a group of up to 100 people.

You are known to be actively involved in Dokdo NGOs. What prompted your decision for participation?

I believe that the defense of our land calls for participation and input from not just certain groups but all citizens. The same goes for interest in Dokdo. It is my belief that we Koreans should first have interest in our land and history, and collect our strength together based on that interest before we could have the power to defend our land and history. And my participation in NGO activities was motivated by my intention of completing Gyeomjae's painting spirit as I have described earlier and establishing the concept of land based on the 21st-century culture.

What is the message that you want your Dokdo paintings to convey to us?

I was the one who first launched the Dokdo Cultural Movement Headquarters in 1977, for the purpose of advertizing the perception of our land with the power of culture that I briefly mentioned in my answer to the previous question. And with the popularity of the 1982 song 'Dokdo Is Our Land' by Jeong Gwang-tae, a singer who still remains acquainted with me, the perception of Dokdo spread in popular music as well. The fact that so many Japanese artists, though painting Mount Fuji, have never painted what they called 'Takeshima' to which they lay claim has convinced me that the Japanese have failed to achieve cultural occupation of Dokdo. To conclude, I hope that the power of culture will help the Korean citizens appreciate our land including Dokdo.

Do you intend your Dokdo paintings to convey the same message to the Japanese, the Chinese, and the rest of the world?

Of course. Watching the recent territorial disputes in Northeast Asia, I thought that imperialistic territorial expansion by physical forms represented by military power, political power, and economical power should be held in check, and the reasonable perception of territorial protection by the metaphysical facts of historical/cultural/legendary nature should be shared. The bottom line is that if the concept of land broke free from the animal instincts of possession, such as hegemonism and imperialism, and the rational academic and cultural aspects of the history of Northeast Asia were reestablished and spread, this could be the foundation on which to build peace and prosperity in this region.

Thank you for your insight. I think you must have unique thoughts on Japan's continued provocations over Dokdo lately and their perception of history. I would like to hear them.

I watched the news this morning about Japan's comments on 'comfort women' for the Japanese military. Japan's perception of history and a series of their reckless remarks are simply not worth my comments. As I see it, Japan is still a prisoner of fist law hegemonism and haunted by the ghost of their imperialist past, and this explains why they are trapped in such historical perception. Above all else, I think that Japan's laying claims to Dokdo is as ludicrous as laying claims to someone else's legitimate child simply because the child had been left unattended for quite a while. The child in my family register is my child sharing the same cultural DNA as me. The same goes for Dokdo.

I can feel your love for Dokdo. You know the importance and beauty of Dokdo better than anyone else. What do you think is the reason we should defend Dokdo?

The first and foremost reason is that Dokdo is part of our precious land, both historically and culturally, inherited from our ancestors. As we all know, there are countless old documents and resources proving that Dokdo is Korean territory, notably The Chronicles of the Three States. Such proofs abound in Japan as well as in Korea. Furthermore, in my opinion, the Left Blue Dragon (the edge of the east) that appears in the Four Spirits Thinking of Koguryo might refer to Dokdo from the perspective of our land. I say this to emphasize the historical and cultural importance of Dokdo to us.

Four pieces of your works are on special exhibition in the Dokdo Experience Hall opened by the NAHF on September 14. How did it come about and what is your suggestion, if any, for the future use of the Dokdo Experience Hall?

It was at the earnest request by the exhibition curator of the Dokdo Experience Hall that I came to allow the Northeast Asian History Foundation to use my works for exhibition. The curator explained that the purpose of the exhibition was to allow Korean citizens to have at-a-glance view of the results of all the natural and historical surveys/studies on Dokdo conducted in our country over the past 60 years and experience the significance of those efforts, and convinced me to provide my paintings to show that Dokdo was deeply rooted in the life and culture of the Republic of Korea. It gave me the fresh satisfaction of seeing my love and passion for Dokdo come to fruition. As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I praise the NAHF for creating the Dokdo Experience Hall. If I have any suggestion, that would be about administration and operation; there will be many visitors to the Dokdo Experience Hall, children and adults, students and office workers, local residents and foreigners. However, the Hall's current area and location are physically insufficient to meet the high demands of these various visitors. I suggest that the Hall should lay out more detailed and efficient operation and management plans to avoid sending away visitors. And I also hope that the Hall will continue to create a variety of new education and promotion programs that will advertise Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo across the country and the world. I hear that the Dokdo Experience Hall is a permanent exhibition hall, But that doesn't mean that they should just expect visitors to keep coming without doing nothing but opening the doors to them. I believe that more efforts need to be made toward running a variety of education and promotion programs for target visitors so as to attract visitors from not only within Seoul but as far as Jeju Island and even other countries. Hopefully, the Dokdo Experience Hall will take my advice and become a museum at the forefront of defending sovereignty over Dokdo.

The Korean people are showing keen interest in Dokdo recently. What mindset should we as the citizens of Korea have toward the protection of Dokdo?

Let me give them three simple points. First of all, don't simply follow others and get worked up in a secular fad of showing frantic interest in Dokdo. Keep calm and informed in response to Japan's claims to Dokdo and have the correct knowledge of Dokdo, for it is clearly Korean territory over which Korea has effective control. Secondly, go beyond a mindset of defending Dokdo and have a mindset of gratitude to Dokdo for its protection of our people. Finally, judge with your own view of history and continue to cultivate patriotism.

Finally, if you had any suggestion for the NAHF's future activities, what would that be?

Recent NGO movements on Koguryo, Dokdo, etc. seem to be too emotional, impromptu, and one-off events. The NAHF would have to identify this trend and coordinate it accordingly. In particular, the NAHF should apply stricter standards to support for NGOs. And, as I mentioned earlier, the NAHF should advertize the correct historical perception to Korean citizens by using more logic and reasoning in identifying the situation, and analysis and research. To this end, I think that the recently opened Dokdo Experience Hall should evolve into an institution dedicated to educating the people on Dokdo. There should be more support from the state lent to the Hall as an institution for education and promotion not simply as a storage of resources on Dokdo. I have high expectations for the Northeast Asian History Foundation for its future activities.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.