뉴스레터

Dokdo is an annexed island of Ulleungdo from ancient times, and it is the territory of the Republic of Korea. In 1900, the Korean Empire enacted the edict No. 41, which legally stipulated that Dokdo was included in the jurisdiction of Uldo-gun. It is the first place that Japan was forced to take over in the process of invading the Korean peninsula. However, it is also a symbol of restoration of sovereignty, which was regained with liberation. In this issue, I met Lee Seung-jin, who served as the director of the Dokdo Museum, the first territorial museum in Korea, with a deep affection for Dokdo and Ulleungdo. We talked about what he saw and felt in Ulleungdo for 17 years as a friend of the East Sea, the history of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, the territorial sovereignty, and the future of the museum which is made up of digital archives.

Interviewer | Hong, Seong Keun (Research Fellow, NAHF Dokdo Research Institute)

Q. Have you been the director of the Dokdo Museum, the territorial museum representing Ulleungdo, for 15 years? Tell me about your most memorable work there.

A. Museums do the work of finding and collecting data, of researching and exhibiting results, and of educating and promoting the results. I think I made the greatest effort to educate and promote Ulleungdo and Dokdo. We have held the ‘Ulleungdo Forum’ several times, an international conference. I was worried about how to communicate and interact with the public actively. So I chose to link it with local museums in major cities across the country. That's a joint exhibition hosted by the theme of ‘The Dokdo Museum Visits Your City’. In order to respond to Japan's illegal claim to Dokdo, we held a special exhibition for global citizens abroad. On the other hand, we also planned an exhibition titled ‘Relics Excavated from Ulleungdo, Return to Hometown’ which proves that people lived in Ulleungdo 1,500 years ago. It was evaluated as an opportunity to look at the culture of people who lived in Ulleungdo during the Unified Silla period. And I tried to break away from the traditional exhibitions of the museum, and try to introduce modern digital techniques. So I remember that I had a special effort in remodeling the exhibition room and the video room in a future-oriented form.

Q. The public's interest in Dokdo is amazing. "In order to know Dokdo, you have to release the lock of Ulleungdo." What does this mean?

A. The academic community is trying to clarify that Dokdo is Korean territory in various fields. The research of historians based on historical data, the efforts of jurists to find international legal grounds and logic, and the biological understanding of natural scientists' research on the Dokdo ecosystem all show that Korea has the sovereignty of Dokdo. Looking at various documents related to Dokdo, Koryo continued to pay attention to Ulleungdo after Jurchen invaded in the early 11th century and tried to pioneer it. Joseon protected Ulleungdo and Dokdo and protected its people. The seafarers of Honam who pioneered Ulleungdo along the sea road, Ahn Yong-bok who actively played in the 17th century, the activities of Dokdo Volunteer Forces including Hong Soon-chil in the 20th century are historical facts that can not be thought of leaving Ulleungdo. If you look closely at people, society and culture of Ulleungdo, you will find that it is inseparable from Dokdo. The life and history of Ulleungdo is the same as that of Dokdo and Korea. However, I think that we all neglect Ulleungdo.

I can not help but say the achievements of archaeology. In Ulleungdo, thousands of artifacts such as pottery, necklaces, earrings, etc., as well as more than 100 tombs, are excavated and preserved. These tombs prove that a powerful ruling group that moves Ulleungdo society has existed for at least 1,500 years. It is very meaningful in that archaeology has revealed the distribution and construction method of Ulleungdo tombs, and that the excavated artifacts revealed the time of unified Silla.

The interest and love of the Korean people about Dokdo has grown because of Japan's ridiculous claim. I have hopes and expectations to raise and promote the interest and research of Ulleungdo as much as that of Dokdo. Ulleungdo is the territory of the Republic of Korea, which has never been the land of another country for a moment with Dokdo. I think this perception is the key to protecting Dokdo.

Q. There are hundreds of thousands of visitors to Ulleungdo and Dokdo every year. Is there a way to learn and understand the history of the two islands?

A. The most effective way to learn about Ulleungdo and Dokdo is to visit and see and feel. On a clear day, Dokdo is seen in Ulleungdo. Of course, Ulleungdo is also seen on Dokdo. At sunset, you can see the mountains of Gangwon-do in Ulleungdo, and you can see Ulleungdo at Chorokbong in Donghae-si. In 1253, Lee Seung-hyu's ‘Mangmurungdohaeng’ was written by looking at Ulleungdo in Samcheok's Sogongdae. The reason why Isabu was able to go to Ulleungdo during the Silla King Jijeung in 512 was because he knew the location of Ulleungdo. Dokdo is not seen in Japan, but it is a well-known island in Ulleungdo. Koreans have known that there are Ulleungdo and Dokdo in the eastern sea from the old days, and traveled to land, Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

As you know, in addition to ‘Dokdo Museum’, there are ‘An Yong-bok Memorial Hall’, ‘Suto Historical Exhibition’, and ‘Dokdo Volunteer Forces Memorial Hall’. Among them, it would be most effective to visit Dokdo Museum first. The Dokdo Museum, which opened in 1997 as the first territorial museum in Korea, comprehensively displays historical data on Dokdo's sovereignty. In particular, we have data that Japan clearly states that Dokdo and Ulleungdo are Korean territory. If we show only historical data produced by the Korean side in museums built in Korea, and if Dokdo and Ulleungdo claim to be Korean land based on that, there may be people who think Korea is ridiculous. So, we were trying to show as many Japanese data as possible.

After visiting the Dokdo Museum, I recommend you visit the An Yong-bok Memorial Hall in Seokpo, which offers the best view of Dokdo in Ulleungdo. This is an exhibition hall to commemorate the activities of Ahn Yong-bok, who was assured by the Japanese Shogunate in the 17th century that Ulleungdo and Dokdo were the land of Joseon. And I think it would be very meaningful to look at the Suto Historical Exhibition Hall in Taeha, where you can see the history of Ulleungdo and Dokdo for the past 200 years, and Gagseokmun here and there. I strongly recommend the Dokdo Volunteer Forces Memorial Hall, which was opened by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which highly appreciated the performance of Dokdo Volunteer Forces organized by Hong Soon-chil. You will feel the pride of Ulleungdo people in this space.

Q. As society changes rapidly for reasons such as COVID-19, museum exhibition techniques and methods are becoming more diverse. Will online offering of exhibits, educational programs, lectures, and experiential activities help revitalize museums? I wonder if these changes will help people to attract attention to Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

A. If I dare to predict the post-corona era, the social needs for non-face-to-face services offered by museums will increase. For example, the emergence of exhibition guide robots that combine advanced technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, big data, autonomous driving, virtual reality, and augmented reality will make an incomparable change. Especially the curiosity of children is explosive. And if robots can use multilingual language and talk to people around the world, the effect of education and publicity on history will be greater. After all, I think there will be a significant change in terms of the role of a commentator or curator.

In fact, several museums are working on digitizing systems and content. I think that if digital technology is applied like this, the change will start from the exhibition environment and the display part of space. In addition, digital archiving enables everyone to provide culture and education services equally. And in the past, if you were curious about the contents of the museum, you had to visit it. But now you can get beyond the spatiotemporal constraints of existing museums and access to the content of the museum you want. I think that if the accessibility of visitors increases, it will be effective in terms of education and publicity. However, there are concerns that the opportunity for on-site experience education to visit exhibition facilities, Ulleungdo and Dokdo will be reduced.

Q. So what role should the Dokdo Museum play in the future?

A. Reflecting on today's social atmosphere, people don't want museums to perform only collection, research, and exhibition functions and stay there. Rather, many people think that museums should expand their educational role and promote it in a sophisticated way. The school curriculum has changed and the demand for various kinds of cultural programs has increased. So, more and more people visited cultural spaces such as museums, exhibition halls, and memorials. In particular, museums need to develop new survival strategies to meet the generation that grew up in the digital environment. In this trend, the Dokdo Museum has also applied digital exhibition techniques in full. I thought it was better than changing the name tag in the exhibition room, or modifying the data description on the panel. If this change goes well, I think that experiential learning and history and culture lectures will be done smoothly in the future. In the future, the Dokdo Museum will have to fulfill its function and role as a cultural space, a central institution that conducts territorial and historical education, and as a community education center.

Q. I think that Dokdo Archives should be operated to manage Dokdo-related data in an integrated manner. What should we do about data sharing, management, and reading among related organizations?

A. Running the Dokdo Archive is very important and must be done. It should have been done as a national project. It's the 21st century now, and we already live in the digital world. I think that if the state will systematically organize the data related to Dokdo, which are owned by the National Museum, the Public Museum, the University Museum, the Private Museum, each exhibition hall, the memorial hall, and the personal collector, everyone will be willing to cooperate.

Q. NAHF already runs the Dokdo Museum Seoul, but we also want to have the requirements to be equipped as a museum. What parts should we reinforce to enhance the function? As a person who loves Ulleungdo and Dokdo more than anyone else, I would like to ask for a proposal for NAHF.

A. It seems not difficult for NAHF's Dokdo Museum Seoul to have the function of the museum. I think about research, survey, exhibition, preservation, education and publicity that are traditional functions that museums have performed. Then research and survey experts seem to be enough. However, it is necessary to recruit exhibition specialists, curatorial researchers majoring in conservation science, and education and public relations experts. Especially, there should be a professional commentator for children and foreigners.

However, the current Dokdo Museum Seoul is very sorry for its size and location considering the status of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. Is that what I think it is? I'm sure people are thinking something like that. I hope the Dokdo Museum Seoul will operate in an open place, not underground. It should be reborn as a proper experience hall and museum with various exhibition space, storage space, and indirect experience facilities. I look forward to it with all the people who love Dokdo and Ulleungdo.