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작성일 : 17-06-30 22:46
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Re: Use of East Sea in USGS event references
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글쓴이 :
중대부고김희주
 조회 : 824
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Hello Hee Ju Kim,
Your inquiry was forwarded to me for response.
The USGS is an agency of the United States Government, and is therefore required to use the names and spellings for places throughout the world that are approved for use by the United States Board on Geographic Names (US BGN). The only name approved for the sea that lies between the Korean Peninsula, Russia and Japan is Sea of Japan. No alternative names are approved for use by US Government agencies. As an aside, among the unapproved variants listed by the US BGN is the Russian Японское море (Yaponskoe More), indicating that Russia also calls this body of water the Sea of Japan.
Requests for changes to US BGN-approved names for areas outside of US jurisdiction should be made to the Foreign Names Committee, whose email address is geonames@nga.mil. However, because of the large number of inquiries about this name, the Foreign Names Committee has issued a special statement about the Sea of Japan, given at http://geonames.nga.mil/gns/html/PDFDocs/Sea%20of%20Japan%20Statement_Sept14.pdf
The last paragraph of that statement refers to the United Nations Conference that you quote in your message. That paragraph reads:
Resolution III/20 of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names is frequently mentioned in discussions regarding this high seas feature. This resolution provides recommendations “ … considering the need for international standardization of names of geographical features that are under the sovereignty of more than one country or are divided by two or more countries.” It is the view of the US Board on Geographic Names that this resolution does not apply to high seas or maritime features that are beyond the limits of national sovereignty. We believe that Resolution III/20 (and related Resolutions I/18 and II/25) are relevant in the context of geographic features of shared sovereignty, such as mountain ranges or rivers that cross international boundaries.
The USGS National Earthquake Information Center is aware of the concerns of the people of Korea concerning this name, and we realize that for many Koreans it is an emotional issue with origins going back hundreds of years. However, until the US BGN changes its policy for the name of that body of water, it must remain shown as Sea of Japan on all of our maps.
Best regards,
Bruce Presgrave
Supervisory Geophysicist
US Geological Survey
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