In article above, there is a phrase “the Sea of Japan.” I want to inform you that this phrase is incorrect. The correct name for the area between the Korean Peninsula and the Islands of Japan is “The East Sea.” If we look at Korean and Japanese maps from the past, the sea between Korea and Japan is called “The East Sea.”

(The picture above is a part of the world map that Samuel Dunn made in the year 1794. If you look closely, the sea between the two countries is indicated as the “corean sea.”)

(The picture above is a Japanese map called the Sinjeong Mangukjeon it was made in the year 1810 and if you look closely, there are Japanese characters indicating that the sea between the two countries is “the East Sea.”)

Also, there is another piece of evidence that backs my claim. There are several criteria that are considered when naming a specific place. The criterion that is primarily considered is the name it was called initially. Since a long time ago, the sea between Korea and Japan have been called the East Sea by both Koreans and Japanese people. In 1971, there was a international meeting to choose the names of territorial grounds to print on maps worldwide. However, during that period, Japan had colonized us Koreans weren’t allowed to go to that meeting and hence the name “Sea of Japan” was known worldwide. And ever since we got our independence we have been working to change the name “Sea of Japan” into “the East Sea.”

       I hope that my argument was compelling enough for you to consider correcting the phrase “Sea of Japan” into “the East Sea.” I really look forward to hearing from you again.

Yours sincerely, Lee Sangwoo