The Dokdo Dispute Between South Korea and Japan

The Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 after many years of struggle between different countries. Throughout the centuries there were multiple events that lead to this colonization. The events became disordered in 1864, when King Kojong ascended to the throne. He was too young, so his father Taewon-gun became the de facto ruler. His goals were to re-establish the power of the government, develop a policy of national exclusionism and continue to persecute the Catholics. During his rule, western men came in search of trade, but the Taewon-gun refused them. Japan repeatedly made attempts to establish political relations with Korea but they continually refused. In return the Japanese declared war on Korea. Meanwhile, the Taewon-gun felt as if he

After the wars in Korea and Japan’s assimilation into the Korean government, they created a treaty between the two. This treaty was known as The Japan Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan Korea Annexation Treaty. This formally annexed Korea forcing them to be a formal colony of Japan. This lead to Many Japanese settlers were interested in acquiring agricultural land in Korea begin move migrate there. The Governor-General at time helped these settlements through land, which initially was accepted by most of the Korean population. The Korean land ownership system was a system of a form of an absolute power landlord. The level of that these peasants were just as was similar to that of farmers in Japan. However, in Korea, the landowners

First of all, what are the reasons that made Japan to colonize Korea? I found that there were very interesting reasons.

After Japan started to industrialize, they began to imperialize and try to take over other surrounding countries. They gained control of Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands after China broke an agreement with them to keep military out of Korea. They also went to war with Russia over Manchuria, and won. Finally, in 1910, Japan annexed Korea and gained control of it until the end of World War II. Once World War II ended in 1945, and the Allies had defeated Japan, the Soviets invaded Korea from the north. The United States, fearing that the Soviets wanted total control of Korea, invaded it from the south. The two countries decided that, to not make any long-term decisions, they would divide the country in about half, at the 38th parallel (5). This division of Korea was only supposed to be temporary, but in 1948, both halves of Korea established separate governments. They both claimed that they were the true Korea (1). Kim Il-Sung, who became the leader of the north of Korea in 1948, decided that the Democratic People’s Republic should have a communist government (6). Syngman Ree, who had previously been exiled by Korea, returned to oppose the DPR’s leader, and created his own government for the south of Korea, or the Republic of Korea. Each side wanted to gain control over the whole, previously unified country (2). The Korean War started in June of 1950 because North Korea took it upon itself to end the

Another more noteworthy example was the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. All previous invasions from Asia came through the Korean peninsula. Korea was considered dangerous to Japan’s security if it were to be controlled by a third power (China). About ten years before the Sino-Japanese War, the German advisor to Japan’s army advised that they should be prepared to fight China if necessary. Yamagata Aritomo, the architect of the modern Japanese army, agreed. Oh argued that “since Japan had prepared carefully between 1885-1894, she was thus ready to respond unhesitatingly to the ‘various unexpected happenings’ in Korea early in 1894” (Wray 129). Even though the Triple Intervention forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to Russia after the war, Japan did not come out empty handed from their involvement in the war. According to Article II of the Treaty of Shimonoseki:

An impoverished country of more than twenty five million people, North Korea, also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was founded by the revolutionary leader Kim IL Sung after the end of World War II. North Korea began as an independent kingdom for much of its long history. Both North and South Korea were under Japanese control in 1905 until the country was split after the end of World War II. Located in eastern Asia in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, North Korea sits in a strategic location bordering China, Russia, and South Korea. North Korea is slightly larger than the state of Virginia, but slightly smaller than the state of Mississippi and is mostly comprised of large mountains and steep hills separated

From the beginning of the 1900s tension had grown between the Soviet Union and Japan after the Russo-Japanese War. In 1904, the Soviet Union’s empire and Japan’s empire collided in their own individual efforts take Manchuria, which is a part of China, and Korea(Young). Japan tried to talk the Soviet Union into letting them take over Korea, so the Soviet Union could go capture Manchuria. But the Soviet Union also wanted the northern part of Korea, so the Japanese government declared war against the Soviet Union.

It has been almost sixty-five years since the split of Korea into the North and South. Although it was not until 1953 when Korea was confirmed by a signed agreement that it is spilt in North Korea and South Korea. As a result of Korea separating into two countries, two different people were in power with different types of governing. Although both countries were once one single country, they both have merged into two totally different countries, that if in the future they came back together to be one country it would be difficult to comprise their rulers and come to an agreement of governing between them.

After World War II Korea was taken away from Japan, Korea would no longer be ruled by Japan. The reason it was taken away, is because Japan only got to rule it because they had more men, so they took Korea by force. The soviets wanted to have part of Korea to take care of,

North Korea, also referred to as the bridge between Japan and China, is located in the eastern part of Asia. North Korea is half a pennisula, particularly the northern half, in the Korean Peninsula. North Korea, is a bit smaller than Mississippi, and about eighty percent of its land it mountainous (Kummer, 19-20)

It is very frustrating that Dokdo Island is still on the controversy since my childhood period. An island located at the most east of Korea, first one to face the morning, Dokdo has always been Korean land in the history. However, due to Korean government’s pathetic policies and Japanese government’s compuctionless policy, there is a controversy about whose land Dokdo is. While it is well known that the island decides the border line of the sea, for Korean, the island has a historical symbol. Giving up Dokdo means that Korean let Japanese colonial era of Korea to be justified. Similar to the Korean comfort women issue, Japan does not admit the faultiness of them, instead, tries to hide their crime. Problem is, Japanese truly believe that Dokdo

After World War II, the Korean territory was free to be taken over. Russia took the Northern territory and the United States took the Southern territory. Both superpowers would influence both territories into their own image. When the two countries pulled out in 1947, Korea was left with two regimes with very different ideologies. North under the influence of communism while South under democratic direction. In just a couple of years, tensions rose with both sides wanting to overpower each other. Threats became more serious, spies multiplied in number, and violence between the regions had increased along the 38th parallel, the boundary between North and South Korea. Soon one side would draw first blood and would spark a war.

The Korean peninsula has always been in a rough location. It is located between China and Japan, trapped. It could be reasonably compared to the rope in a tug-of-war game, having been occupied by one or the other for a large majority of time. In 1910, Japan had annexed Korea and were occupying the region. Their occupation stayed firm until Japan’s ultimate defeat in World War 2. One may think that Japan leaving the region would mean that Korea would receive its sovereignty back. However, they ended up becoming more divided than ever. After World War 2, the Soviet Union and the United States became involved in what is commonly known as the Cold War. The Soviet Union was communist. The U.S. wanted to keep communism from spreading. The Cold War

The world is largely unfamiliar with Korean history. Often Korea has been misunderstood as a part of or just mockup miniature of China. Much of this confusion was the result of a lack of knowledge or interest in Korea (Kummer, 1). Korea history has been overlooked in the world because Korea is surrounded with strong countries. Korea used to be a colony in the past.

This article has a lot of links to Geography. If you look from a political view what North Korea did to South Korean by firing the torpedo at the warship on purpose which resulted in 46 sailors deaths, North Korea doesn’t want to admit to their mistake; instead they are threatening to retaliate with military actions if South Korea