Hello, I am a high school student in South Korea, and also as a member of Dokdo Cyber Student Press. I would like to send you an e-mail to correct some errors about the name of "Mar de Japo'n" on your web-site. I'd appreciate it if you could read it, even if you have different opinion.

The sea in question comprises an Exclusive Economic Zone and the territorial waters of four countries: South Korea, North Korea, Japan and Russia. As such, adopting a single designation named after the name of a specific country cannot be justified for waters shared by multiple countries and influenced by each of their sovereign authority. Naming a geographical area shared by two or more countries is usually determined by an agreement between the countries involved. If an agreement cannot be reached, the general rule of international cartography is to concurrently notate each name individually endorsed by different countries involved. This rule is also confirmed through resolutions of the United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the International Hydrographic Organization. The UN Secretariat does not support any single party engaged in dispute with other countries and states that its practice of using a single name should not be invoked by any one party to strengthen its position in a dispute. I think we should follow international norms , thereby using both the Mar del Este and the Mar de Japo'n concurrently.

There can be misunderstanding but as long as you knew the truth, I believe there will be action corresponding to the truth. The process of correcting may be laborious, but this misunderstanding could lead to people gaining false knowledge about the history and if it is not straightened now, this mistake will be repeated as cycle. Therefore, I require you to write the word both "Mar del Este" and “Mar de Japo'n". I will be looking forward to your reply and further questions are welcomed. 

Sincerely yours,

Hyunseo Lee