Hello? I am Sung-ho Shim, a student at Whimoon High School, and I am working as a student-reporter for the Dokdo Love Organization I am writing a letter in Seoul, Korea.

I would like to inform you of finding errors in international expressions in your article. And I would like to request an amendment to this. And finally, I would like to give you a brief explanation of why you are sending this letter.

This is a very important issue from our point of view, so please read it through.

I am requesting a correction to the incorrect expression “Japanska havet” in your article “Från Karlavägen till Japanska havet – och tillbaks igen”.

I ask you to correct it to East See or East See/Japanska havet. The reasons are as follows:

There are conflicting opinions between Korea and Japan on the name of the sea. So, the two countries are expressing the name of the sea by using their place names.

Sometimes this becomes an issue of conflict between the two countries. Therefore, it is considered unfair to follow only the expressions that any one country claims unilaterally. 

The name of this sea does not yet have an internationally consensual designation.

Since the sea is named after a certain country, the adoption of either may affect the sovereignty of the other country.

So, in this case, it would be justifiable to record the names individually approved by at least two countries in the conflict. 

If you follow only the expressions Japan claims as you have written, you will be in line with Japan's intention to make this area a disputed area and pursue only its own interests.

In conclusion, in this letter, I request that the name of the sea, which is not officially recognized by the international community, be replaced with an appropriate expression. That would be the minimum position for peace and sovereignty protection for at least two countries. Thank you for reading my letter to the end while you are busy. This is a very important issue for me and my country, so please understand that I am sending you this letter.

 I hope you will accept my proposal and look forward to your interest in the issues between Dokdo and Japan and Korea in the future.

Thank you,