Dear Sean

Hello, I am a high school student from South Korea.

I visited an useful web-site, Deams Time and I saw your article about "Mar del Este". Really thank you for your free sharing lots of photos but I found your some errors on your photo about "Mar del Este" as below.

https://es.dreamstime.com/foto-de-archivo-mar-del-jap%C3%B3n-la-costa-image58953951

The name for the body of water between Korea and Japan has long been a point of contention between the two sides. The sea in question comprises an Exclusive Economic Zone and the territorial waters of four countries: South Korea, North Korea, Japan and Russia. As such, adopting a single designation named after the name of a specific country cannot be justified for waters shared by multiple countries and influenced by each of their sovereign authority.

The "Mar del Este" starting with the Korean peninsula, is bordering Japan, Russia, etc. so it is not just Japanese sea but the sea that many countries share. Korean call that sea "Mar del Este" but Japanese are calling 'Mar de Japo'n'. The term 'Mar del Este' is deeply related to the history of the International Hydrographic Organization. In order to have standard international titles of the sea and ensure safe voyage, the International Hydrographic Organization or IHO establishes these much needed international standards. In 1929, the IHO published a book titled “Limits of Oceans and Seas” in which the names of the ocean were internationally standardized. The 'Mar de Japo'n' began being widely used internationally from the release of the 1929 IHO released “Limits of Oceans and Seas”. At that time, Korea was under Japanese occupation and thus could not participate in the publication process. Therefore, it unilaterally reflects Japanese position in the international community. However, Koreans’ name 'Mar del Este' has been the name they have used for over 2,000 years and not only in Korea but on world maps and even on old Japanese maps. Also 'Mar del Este' has justification at the international level.The IHO and the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names or UNCSGN, the international organizations which determined the standard names of the seas in the world, suggests that in the hard case on the agreement of a name for a landmark shared by 2 countries, it is usually recommended to use both names of two countries not only the name of one country. Using a proper name for the body of water between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago is not simply a question of changing the name of a geographical feature. It is part of the national effort by the Korean people to erase the legacy of Japanese Imperialism and to redress the unfairness that has resulted from it.

As above reasons, I hope you will help spreading that "Mar del Este" is the correct name for that part of sea around the world.

And I'm gonna wait to change the title of the photo to "Mar de Este" on your web-site. Welcome your any reply, and thank you for reading this long email.

Thanks & Regards,

Hyunseo