뉴스레터

Editor's Note: The Northeast Asian History Foundation hosted the Korea-France International Seminar at Hotel Lutetia in Paris, France from November 7 to 8, 2013. This seminar was designed to raise awareness of the naming of the East Sea and territorial sovereignty over Dokdo in French-speaking countries by providing a forum for cultural and academic exchange and cooperation between Korea and France. In addition to the academic seminar, a Korean traditional paper (old maps) exhibition was also held at the same time.

About Thirty People from Six Countries Attend the International Academic Seminar in Paris

The Korea-France International Academic Seminar was designed to promote and raise awareness of Korea's naming of the East Sea and territorial sovereignty over Dokdo in French-speaking countries by providing a forum for academic exchange between Korea and France. Since the matters of our interest may appear to be sensitive issues to the eye of outsiders, the program was structured from the beginning with agenda that would be of common interest to people from all over the world. For example, Dokdo would be discussed in the session on the recent political landscape and territorial issues in East Asia, and the naming of the East Sea was included in Session 2 dealing with the dilemma of map-making and territorial issues.

In this event, there were about thirty participants from six countries (Korea, France, the U.S., Poland, Algeria, and Burkina Faso) who were experts in geography, history, international law, international politics, linguistics, place-name studies, Korean studies, etc. In a welcoming speech, NAHF President Kim Hak-joon expressed the Korean people's interest in France by talking about French novels. Director of Dokdo Research Institute Lee Hon gave a presentation on the history of the French expansion to the East Sea, describing the East Sea and Dokdo as a peaceful space where Korea meets France.

Shared and Spreading Interest in the Naming of the East Sea

In Session 2, NAHF administrator Shin Seung-hye explained why the naming of the East Sea was valid based on the materials of discussions done in the international community over the past twenty years. The French-speaking participants gathered here had an opportunity to understand and relate to the sea name that was being controversial between Korean and Japan. Claude Obin Tapsoba (Director General of the Geographic Institute in Burkina Faso) talked about a situation from the past in which his country had a conflict with the neighboring Republic of Niger over territorial issues and map-making, and described how he related to the issue between Korea and Japan. In Session 3, there were presentations about how France and Korea were described in the geography textbooks of the other country in terms of the country's image and matters of interest. Professor Kweon Jeong-hwa (Korea National University of Education) talked about the aspects of France that had been described in the geography textbooks of Korea over the past hundred years or so. Jean-Joseph Le Brozec, a history and geography teacher at Auguste Pavie de Guingamp High School, talked about the aspects of East Asia included in the geography textbooks of France and how the students expressed the three countries of Korea, China, Japan in maps. Even though their textbooks didn't have the name East Sea in them, Mr. Le Brozec used the name East Sea instead of the name Sea of Japan in his presentation and its materials, apparently keeping the significance of this event in mind, which drew the participants' attention to that issue.

More Effective Promotion of the East Sea and Dokdo Is Through Collaboration with Researchers of Korean Studies

In the French-speaking countries, Korean studies began in the 1950s. In this seminar, Université de Lyon professor emeritus Lee Jin Myung presented an overview of the history and status of Korean studies in the French-speaking countries. And Professor Marie-Orange RIVE-LASAN (Université de Paris VII) presented the cases of Korean studies in the French-speaking countries. This Korean studies session showed that sensitive issues like the East Sea and Dokdo could be perceived as more long-term and persuasive topics when they were discussed from academic and cultural perspectives within the framework of Korean studies rather than when they were discussed alone.

One of this seminar's features that attracted one's attention was the participation of two experts in culture and art in support of the event. One of them was Kim Seok-ran (Director of the Future Cultural Property Institute), an expert in Korean traditional paper. She took charge of the Korean paper exhibition and also talked about Korean traditional paper. The other was Hwang In-kyung, one of novelists representative of Korea, whose presentation on 'The Possibility of Globalization of Korean Literature' resonated with the participants and attracted their attention. At the exhibitions of Korean traditional paper and old maps, world maps made during the Joseon era were displayed, showcasing the geographical tradition of Joseon. Old maps related to the East Sea and Dokdo were also displayed in an effort to indirectly reveal the purpose of this event.

Boost Interest in Korea and Enhance the Positive Image of the NAHF

At this Korea-France International Academic Seminar, the conference and exhibition boosted interest in Korean studies and Korean culture. In particular, it provided a forum for academic exchange between Korea and France, and, through the common topics of the political landscape of East Asia and Korea-France exchange, created the positive image of the NAHF that it was contributing to cultural and academic aspects and, most of all, striving for peace and co-prosperity in East Asia. In the future, the NAHF should continue to organize similar events in order to effectively promote the East Sea and Dokdo oversea as well as maintain the overseas network.