¡°East Sea¡± has been used in Korea for more than
2000 years to indicate the body of water between Korea and Japan with
convincing evidence in many antique books. Old maps from university library in
Europe and USA show ¡°East Sea¡±. By the 19th century, even maps from
Japan refer to the sea as ¡°Sea of Joseon (the old name of Korea)¡± instead of
¡°Sea of Japan¡±.
Japan made a dogmatic decision on using the
name, ¡°Sea of Japan¡± in the 1st IHO conference held in London in
1919, without any consensus of adjacent countries including Korea. At that
time, Korea could not participate in the conference to raise a voice in
opposition since Korea was being dominated by Japanese imperialism.
Furthermore, ¡°Sea of Japan¡± including the
specific name of country is not appropriate considering the stance of the
adjacent countries on the issue. Therefore, ¡°East Sea¡± is the most reasonable
name in terms of history and international relations.
Now, Maps from the news/broadcasting media
such as National Geographic, BBC of England show ¡°East Sea¡± and ¡°Sea of Japan¡±
simultaneously (e.q. East Sea/Sea of Japan).