뉴스레터

A picture related to the Bombing of Dokdo incident published in the Chosun Joongang Ilbo on June 16, 1948. 

There are pictures of Dokdo's complete view, the bodies of the dead, the wounded, 

the bags penetrated by the bullets of machine gun, 

and the residents of Ulleungdo waiting for the lifeboat to go to Dokdo.

On June 8, a memorial ceremony was held on Dokdo for those who were killed in the 1948 Dokdo bombing. On the previous day, experts gathered in Ulleungdo to hold a debate on the theme of ‘Tasks and Directions of Remembrance Projects for the 6·8 Dokdo Incident’. It has been more than 70 years since the incident happened. But the bereaved are still living with pain, and some people try to remember the day by comforting them. Since 2000, the truth of the case has been clarified in many parts by researchers. However, suspicions about casualties, damaged ships, compensation status, whether machine guns were fired, and how the US military had conducted bombing exercises on Dokdo were not resolved.

I have conducted an empirical study on the bombing of Dokdo to resolve the suspicion and find the meaning of the incident to the sovereignty over Dokdo. As a result, I wrote one paper, 「The Casualties of 1948 Bombing of Dokdo」, and published one data book, 『The Press Report on Dokdo after Liberation 1: 1948 Bombing of Dokdo』. I will introduce this Incident based on what I have summarized and talk about why we should pay attention to it.

The biggest event on Dokdo after the liberation

1948 Bombing of Dokdo is the largest incident on Dokdo after liberation. At around 12:00 on 8 June 1948, a US military reconnaissance plane and 20 B-29 bombers dropped 76 bombs(454 kg) over Dokdo. The bombers of the US Air Force based in Okinawa practiced bombing. Dokdo was designated as the bombling range of the U.S. Air Force by SCAPIN-1778 in September 1947. However, Korean fishermen did not know that. So 14 people died, and at least six were injured. Only three of the dead were found, the rest were torn by bombs, or swept away by waves. Fourteen ships were damaged or sunk.

At that time, there were reporters from Seoul and other places in Ulleungdo. The incident was quickly spread out of Ulleungdo by them. Since it was first reported on June 11, there have been more than 480 domestic and international articles by the end of July. Almost all domestic newspapers, as well as foreign news agencies such as Reuters and UP, reported on this. The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, and The Washington Post have also covered this several times. However, this incident was rarely mentioned after the mid-1950s. So, even the facts were misrepresented.

The break of memories and records

In 1995, the Dokdo Issue Research Group(a club of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), and the Green Ulleung-Dokdo Club(a civic group of Ulleungdo), interviewed survivors of 1948 Bombing of Dokdo in Ulleungdo. People have become interested in this incident again. Immediately after the incident, the USFK 24th Corps Command dispatched a special investigation team to Dokdo to conduct joint investigation and rescue activities. And they organized the Appeals Committee to identify the damage and to pay compensation to the bereaved and victims. The Far East Air Force in Japan said based on photographs taken at the scene and operational reports. "U.S. Air Force planes dropped practice bombs at an altitude of no lower than 23,000 feet. It happened because the fishing boat was mistaken for rock." This was the time when the US military government was completed ahead of the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea. The US military government tried to resolve the case quickly, considering the domestic situation and the impact on the US military. They did not disclose the circumstances and facts of the case in a proper manner, other than to make a brief statement. The records of the day are in 1948 domestic and international media reports, minutes of the National Assembly, and 1951 and 1952 Report of Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor. The records of the US military at that time were not unearthed except for media reports, several full texts, and 「The unit history of 93rd Bombardment Group for June 1948」.

To identify this case, it is necessary to uncover US military data. The data appear to have been kept in the National Archives and Records Administration(NARA) or the Air Force Historical Research Agency(AFHRA). However, the related data kept by these institutions are not disclosed, or it is not easy for Korean researchers to access them. Therefore, we can think about ways to solve this problem through joint research with scholars in the United States.

Lilies blooming on Dokdo ⓒAhn Dong-lib    

The Base of Korean People's Life, Dokdo

This incident is a tragedy, but it is a case that actually proved that Dokdo was the base of our life. At that time, 59 fishermen were fishing on 18 fishing boats on Dokdo. There were 37 fishermen from Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, and 22 fishermen from Ulleungdo. Among them, eight residents of Gangwon Province(including Uljin at the time) and six residents of Ulleungdo died. In 1948, Dokdo was a fishing ground used not only by Ulleungdo fishermen but also by people living on land. And among the deaths, the family register of Onyangri residents in Uljin County is recorded as follows. “He died at 11:00 a.m. on June 8, 1948, 300 meters east of Dokdo, which belongs to Ulleungdo, Gyeongsangbuk-do.” This family register is an administrative document written during the US military government. This clearly confirms that Dokdo belongs to Ulleungdo in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and that Dokdo is under the jurisdiction of Korea.

The fact that Dokdo was under the jurisdiction of Korea is also proved to have been rescued and investigated by USFK special investigation team dispatched to Dokdo shortly after the incident. In 1950, after the establishment of the Korean government, more than 70 people including the governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do and the commander of the Pohang Navy Security Department participated in the unveiling ceremony of the memorial for fisherman distressed on Dokdo.

Why to pay attention to the case

A year before the incident, the memory of the Japanese colonial rule was still vivid. At that time, the Japanese claimed Dokdo as their fishing ground and invaded the territorial waters of Dokdo. Then, interim government dispatched a large academic research team to Dokdo in August 1947. A bombardment on Dokdo occurred in such a situation, and many fishermen died. Repeated Japanese provocations over Dokdo, and 1948 Bombing of Dokdo deepened our affection for Dokdo. Even now, Japan is still repeating provocations and annoying us.

However, this case makes us look at Dokdo as a 'oriented' view, not a 'confrontation' view. In other words, this is not to see Dokdo in the confrontation between Korea and Japan, but to look at it from the perspective of peace and human rights. We think about how to protect Dokdo, which has become the base of life through the efforts of our ancestors. And it's also important what we're going to do to avoid letting these things recur again. Furthermore, we can think of how to utilize Dokdo as a place of education for peace and human rights. This is why we need to clarify the truth of 1948 Bombing of Dokdo and recall the historical meaning.