Liancourt Rocks

The Liancourt Rocks are a group of small islands in the East Sea / Sea of Japan. In Korea they are called Dokdo (독도). In Japan they are called Takeshima (竹島). The islands are currently occupied under the South Korean armed police. The name Liancourt Rocks comes from the French whaling ship Liancourt. The people on the Liancourt made a map of the islands in 1849. Korea and Japan both say that the islands are theirs, and have for a long time. Japan has suggested asking the International Court of Justice to decide, but the South Korean government refused. Geography Liancourt Rocks consists of two main islands and 35 smaller rocks. The main islands are called West Islet and East Islet. The western island is the larger of the two. There are about 90 islands and reefs total. The islands and rocks have a volcanic nature. 37 of these islands are recognized as permanent land. The eastern islands formed 4.5 million years ago. Ulleungdo formed 2 million years later. Both are eroding and weathering. The total area of the islands is about 187,450 square meters. Their highest point is 169 meters on the western islet. The western islet is about 88,640 square meters in area; the eastern islet about 73,300 square meters. Liancourt Rocks is at about 131°52′ East longitude and about 37°14′ North latitude. The western islet is at 37°14′31″N 131°51′55″E and the eastern islet is at 37°14′27″N 131°52′10″E. The main islands coast lines are 217 km apart from mainland Korea and 212 km apart from main islands of Japan (Honshu). The nearest Korean territory (Ulleungdo) is 87 km away and can be seen on clear days; the nearest Japanese territory (Oki islands) is 157 km away. The western island is made of a single peak. It has many caves along the coastline. The cliffs of the eastern island are about 10 to 20 meters high. There are two caves giving access to the sea, and a crater. Economy 26 Korean people live on the islands. 20 of them are Korean police. Korean telecom service providers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ have installed stations on Liancourt Rocks to cover the islands in the South Korean wireless telephone network. There is also regular ferry service from Ulleung-do. In 2022, 280,312 tourists visited the islands, about 500 visitors per day. Although the islands themselves are barely habitable, the Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding them has rich fishing grounds and possible reserves of natural gas. As of 2006, the expected reserves had not been found. A wide variety of fish as well as seaweed, kelp, sea slugs, and clams live around the islets. Major fishery catches in the area are squid, Alaskan pollock, codfish, and octopus. There are 102 species of seaweed, although many of these have no economic value. This area used to be one of the largest breeding grounds of sea lions (Zalophus californianus japonicus) and a good spot for hunting them and also a spot for obtaining abalone at the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912). Until the 1950s, sea lions were observed on the islets by the voluntary guards. Over 900 Korean citizens say that they live on the islands. Over 2,000 Japanese do the same. However, only two people, a married Korean couple, are living there permanently. Tourism Because the government says the islands are a nature reserve, special permits are required for tourists to land on the islets rather than just circling them. There were 1,507 and 1,597 recorded tourists in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Visitors generally come by boat from Ulleungdo. In 2005, the first wedding ceremony was held on the islets. The South Korean couple chose the location to protest against Japanese claims to the islands. Climate Due to the location of the isle, the weather of the Liancourt Rocks is known to be harsh. As a result, ships can not dock in winter as the north-western winds are too strong. T he climate is warm and humid. It is heavily influenced by warm sea currents. There is a lot of rain throughout the year (annual average - 1324 mm), with occasional snowfall. Fog is common. In the summer, southerly winds dominate. The water around the islets is about 10 degrees Celsius in spring, when the water is coolest. It warms to about 25 degrees Celsius in August. Ecology Like Ulleung-do, the islets are volcanic rocks, with only a thin layer of soil and moss. About 80 species of plants, over 22 species of birds, and 37 species of insects have been recorded on the islets, in addition to the local maritime life. Since the early 1970s, trees and some types of flowers were planted along with the indigenous flora and fauna. (Trees are required under international law for the islands to be recognized as natural islands rather than reefs.) Liancourt Rocks was declared "Natural Monument #336" by South Korea in the 1990s. Some birds actually live on the islands, but most are just using them as a stopover to fly elsewhere. The fork-tailed petrel, streaked shearwater, and black-tailed gulls live on the islands. The population of breeding birds counted on the rocks, however, has been declining in recent years. In 1999, the islands were designated a special environmental protected area by the South Korean government. They are older than any other Korean volcanic islands, including Ulleungdo. It was announced in 2005 that three new genera and five new species of bacteria had been identified by Korean scientists in the waters off the islets. The genera are Dokdonella koreensis, Dokdonia donghaenensis, and Donghae dokdoensis. The newly identified species are Virgilbacillus dokdoensis, Maribacter dokdoensis, Marimonas dokdoensis, Polaribacter dokdoensis, and Porphyrobacter dokdoensis. Strategic location The islets are of importance not only for economic reasons, but also for military ones. They have occasionally served as a military base, most notably during the Russo-Japanese War. The South Korean government has built a radar station and helicopter landing pad on the islets, enabling it to track foreign naval forces. References Other websites Official sites South Korean government's perspective on Dokdo via Korea.net Archived 2007-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Pro-Korea dodkdonews.net: News updates on the disputed islets Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine The Territorial Dispute Over Dokdo, compiled by Mark S. Lovmo Pro-Korea view by an English speaker The historical facts of the Dokdo - Takeshima Island dispute between Japan and Korea Pro-Korea view by an English speaker Tokdo Dispute History by Kalani O'Sullivan Archived 2006-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Third party analysis of dispute in an academic journal Tokdo or Takeshima? The International Law of Territorial Acquisition in the Japan-Korea Island Dispute, Sean Fern, Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, Volume 5 Number 1 (Winter 2005), pp.78-89 Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Pro-Korea view by an English speaker "North Korea Denounces Japanese Territorial Claims on Dokdo" Archived 2006-08-14 at the Wayback Machine Yonhap via Yahoo news Dokdo is Korean territory : a web page by the Cyber Dokdo History Hall, English Archived 2008-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Korea Times Dokdo Hosts First Civilians in a Decade. Retrieved 22 February, 2006.