The sea covered by the Korean Penninsula and the Japanese Archipelago is often
described as 'Sea of Japan.' However, an alternative name exists; East Sea. In
1922, the International Hydrographic Organization attempted to unify different
names of the world's seas. During that time, Korea was under Japanese
colonization, and therefore did not have a voice in the decision to name the
sea as 'Sea of Japan.'
In the 1974 recommendation
by the IHO, it is suggested that if the nearby nations do not reach agreement
on the name of the sea, then all the disputed names should be notated. Yet
Japan keeps refusing to mark the sea as 'East Sea,' a traditional name that
Koreans use to call this region.
The
dispute is still continuing to this day, and as a Korean who best knows about
how emotional our citizens feel about this
topic, I could not help but contact you.
Many international
organizations are starting to write 'East Sea' with or instead of 'Sea of
Japan' due to our efforts. Your participation to this ongoing trend will be
greatly appreciated.