뉴스레터

Dokdo is located '200 li southeast of Ulleungdo,' as the popular song goes. But this is no longer the case as Korea's proud land of Dokdo has been brought to Seoul. Opened on September 14, 2012 by the Northeast Asian History Foundation. the Dokdo Museum Seoul houses a collection of everything there is to know about Dokdo based on the accomplishments in scientific surveys/studies on the islets conducted in the fields of human/natural sciences over the last six decades in Korea.

Representing the Korean Perception of Dokdo

Access to Dokdo, the islets designated as a Natural Heritage in 1982, is limited and requires authorization from the Ulleung-gun office. In 2005, for Dongdo (East Island) only, the authorization requirement was relaxed to allow ordinary citizens to enter Dokdo upon approval. Since then, many tourists have been visiting Dokdo by way of Ulleungdo. However, Dokdo still is not exactly within easy access of ordinary citizens.
Located in Seoul, the Dokdo Museum Seoul has two locational significances. First, it offers easy access to Dokdo from the metropolitan area. Second, it positions Dokdo in the global status of a nation's capital, thereby speaking for the Korean people what Dokdo means to them. Just as a nation's capital is the hub of all the information of that nation, the Dokdo Museum Seoul is expected to serve as the hub of the results of all studies/surveys on Dokdo conducted in Korea.
As for institutions similar to the Dokdo Museum Seoul, the Dokdo Museum in Ulleungdo, North Gyeongsang Province exhibits historical resources on Dokdo, and the Ahn Yong-bok Memorial Hall, located also in North Gyeongsang Province, are under construction (construction began in 2011) with the purpose of exploring Ahn Yong-bok's activities in Japan from historical perspectives. In Seoul, the Dokdo Experience Museum for Children within the National Children and Youths' Library in Gangnam-gu features the history and nature of Dokdo. As for a private institution, the Dokdo Promotional Hall run by the Dokdo Love Society in the city of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, exhibits old maps from the 17th to 19th centuries, and the photographs of animals and plants inhabiting Dokdo, and Dokdo stamps. However, the exhibitions of these institutions are incomplete, featuring either the history or the nature of Dokdo, not both. By contrast, the Dokdo Experience Hall for Children features both the history and the nature of Dokdo on exhibition angled toward the main target of children.

The History, Nature, and Culture of Dokdo Presented in One Place

The history, nature, and culture of Dokdo were featured separately, until they were brought together in one place at the Dokdo Experience Hall, where it is explained in a logical and systematic manner why each of those elements matters and why Korean sovereignty claims over Dokdo are valid and need protection.
First of all, the Dokdo History Hall features the history of Dokdo combined with nature. Dokdo is geographically close to the Korean peninsula. and visible from Ulleundo with naked eye. These natural conditions led the residents of the Korean peninsula to cross the sea to the islets. Once repeated and recorded in history, their crossings have become the proof that Dokdo is inherent Korean territory. This is presented through exhibitions, including the replicas of the old documents and old maps, state-designated cultural heritages and records of the Korean people's visits to and use of Dokdo, such as Geographical Records from the Annals of King Sejong and The Complete Map of Korea, animation, supporting evidence, the Ahn Yong-bok Hall comprising miniatures, and a documentary on the origin of the name Dokdo. In addition, the course of history in which Dokdo was illegally incorporated into Japan under the changing Korea-Japan relations and international relations surrounding the Korean peninsula from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, and then restored after the liberation of Korea from the Japanese colonial rule, and the Republic of Korea has tried to protect Dokdo is presented chronologically. And the special video 'Dialogue with Dokdo' projected on a large screen, featuring all of these contents, makes an emotional appeal to visitors.
The Nature Hall exhibits objects that explore the differences and similarities in natural conditions between the Korean peninsula and Dokdo. The November westerlies carry plant seeds from the Korean peninsula to Ulleungdo and Dokdo In addition, the North Korean Cold Current and the East Korean Warm Current, each flowing along the eastern coast of Korea, make a shift toward Dokdo, introducing plants from the Korean peninsula and Ulleungdo to Dokdo. For example, Sedum takesimense and Campanula takesimana inhabit Ulleungdo and Dokdo in Korea, and nowhere else in the world. The birds that inhabit the Korean peninsula also inhabit Dokdo. And the distribution of marine plants in the Dokdo waters is very similar to that of the southern coast of Korea. This is presented in a 1:120 scale Dokdo miniature.

Special Exhibition Features Artist Lee Jong-sang's Dokdo Paintings

A volcanic island with superb scenic beauty, Dokdo became, early on, the object of choice for fine artists. Artist Ilang Lee Jong-sang, who has been painting Dokdo since 1977, has four of his Dokdo paintings on display at the Special Exhibition Hall of the Dokdo Experience Hall. These paintings demonstrate that Dokdo is deeply rooted in the culture of Korea, and the life of Koreans.

The Dokdo Museum Seoul, which houses everything about Dokdo in a logical and systematic fashion, will function as a classical museum that excavates and collects Dokdo-related resources and studies and exhibits them, as an experience hall that offers interactive experience of the history and nature of Dokdo, and also as a 3D textbook combined with the Dokdo-related contents of the school textbooks. And it consists of a space for learning the history of Doko, a space for experiencing the nature of Dokdo, and a space for thinking about the future of Dokdo.