Japan has continuously tried to claim
the ¡®East Sea¡¯ as 'Sea of Japan' since early 20th century – the time that Japan
try to expand its territory by establishing colonies, so these errors may
happen on many websites including yours. However the use of ¡®East Sea¡¯ is more
than ¡®Sea of Japan or Japan Sea¡¯ in many western old maps but I think both
names should be used in maps and websites.
The name "East Sea" has
been used in Korea for more than 2000 years as illustrated in various reference
such as "History of the Three Kingdoms(ß²ÏÐÞÈÑÀ)", the monument of King Gwanggaeto, and "Map of Eight
Provinces of Korea(ø¢Ô³õÅÓñ)". The name "Sea of
Japan", however, was first used by Mateo Ricci in 1602 and various
historical records show that the Japanese themselves did not refer to the sea
area as the "Sea of Japan" for a long time. Japan insists that the
name "Sea of Japan" came into widespread use in the 19th century by
stating that the old western maps showed an increased use of the name "Sea
of Japan" throughout the 19th century. However, numerous Japanese maps at
that time such as "Simplified Map of Japan's Periphery(ìíÜâÜ«Í£ÕÔÓñ, 1809)" and "New World Map(ãæð²æ«ò¢îïÓñ,
1844)" referred to the sea area as the "Sea of Joseon(Korea),"
and this demonstrates that the name "Sea of Japan" had not been
established even in Japan then.
'East Sea' is in the east of Korean
peninsula and west of Japan. South Korea calls it as ¡¯East Sea¡¯ while Japan as ¡®Sea
of Japan or Japan Sea¡¯. This is the result of Korea's loss of sovereignty and
Japan's international status in the early 20th century when the world's
geographical names were standardized. Although Korea has demanded correction
ever since its independence in 1945, the case remains an unsolved problem in
the international community.
International organizations
recommend that names be unified if they use different names in two or more
countries' shared areas, and that each name be used if no adjustment is made. It
is an international standard to use the two names together until this agreement
is reached, as the claims of Korea and Japan are very different now.