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.