Does this mean that I need to start stocking up on rations, water, and batteries again as I await the end of the world due to the Dokdo crisis?:
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Tuesday that the East Sea islets of Dokdo are a symbol of Korea’s sovereignty restoration, accusing Japan of attempting to claim territorial rights to its former colonial land.
In a special statement broadcast live nationwide, the president vowed to directly confront Japan’s claims to the South Korean Dokdo islets to protect Korea’s history of independence, as well as its sovereignty.
The president began his statement by declaring that, “Dokdo is our land. It is not merely our land. It has a special historical meaning.”
Roh declared that his government would completely review its countermeasures against Japan’s repeated claims to the easternmost South Korean islets, ending its quiet diplomacy as far as Dokdo is concerned.
He emphasized that South Korea will deal sternly with Japan’s physical challenges, stressing that his government would never abandon Dokdo despite any expense or sacrifice to be required.
“South Korea will mobilize all its national and diplomatic resources to take issue with Japan’s unreasonable demands and press Japan to rectify its wrongdoing.”
The president then said that Seoul reserves the right to register Korean names for undersea features in the waters surrounding Dokdo.
I’m sure the Japanese are shaking in their boots now that President Roh has declared (drum roll please) “Diplomatic War” against Japan. Hasn’t he already declared “Diplomatic War” before? What good has that done? It would help if Korea knew how to conduct diplomacy instead of constantly whining which in no way helps its claims to the Dokdo isles. Korea has by the far the strongest case for ownership of the Dokdo Isles and the Japanese know this. So they have to marginalize Korea internationally in order to down play the Korea’s more legitimate claims. Korea continues just to play into Japanese hands with the off the wall responses to the Dokdo issue.
Is it just me or is President Roh sounding more and more like a lame duck?
I guess I no longer need to stalk up on rations, water, and batteries anymore since a global war over the Dokdo Isles has been officially adverted:
Two Japanese Coast Guard vessels that were to embark on a hydrographic survey near Korea¿s Dokdo returned to Tokyo on Sunday. It was the result of Korea and Japan reaching a compromise on Saturday to defuse tensions sparked by Japan¿s plan to send the ships into Korea¿s exclusive economic zone without permission from Seoul.
In a two-day meeting in Seoul, Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and his Japanese counterpart Shotaro Yachi reached a three-point agreement. Japan will stop the hydrographic survey in the East Sea it had planned to complete by June 30; Korea will temporarily put on hold a plan to register Korean names for seabed topography near the Dokdo islets with the International Hydrographic Organization until an ¿appropriate time¿; and the two neighbors will resume talks to demarcate the boundary between their EEZs as early as next month.
Though the Japanese appear to have gotten the better end of this deal, the Japanese Ambassador to Korea may not think so after having to withstand this verbal abuse. (Hat Tip: Nomad)
The Japanese Ambassador to Korea has got to be one of the world’s toughest and most thankless jobs.
How does doing this help Korea’s claim to the Dokdo Islands?:
An anti-Japan protester, Yang Bong-ho, stabs himself in the stomach with a kinfe to commite suicide demanding Japan abandon a plan to conduct a maritime survey near disputed islets, at a park in Seoul, Wednesday, April 19, 2006. Yang’s condition was unknown after being taken to hospital.
Actions like this only help Japan’s agenda of showing that Korea is an irrational society thus in turn aiding their claims to the Dokdo isles in regards to global public opinion, with the few people that actually give a crap about anything that has to do with Dokdo.
A cease fire between the two combatants in the Great Dokdo War has been declared. It is safe to now come out of the bomb shelters; those dastardly Japanese scientists have agreed to not leave Japan and face the 18 Korean naval vessels waiting for them at Dokdo and let the diplomatic process play itself out:
Japan has promised to hold off conducting a controversial hydrographic survey in South Korea’s waters in an effort to find a diplomatic solution to the latest standoff between the two sides, a top Seoul official said Friday.
“Japan is expected to announce the decision soon,” Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters in Seoul.
Yu added that his country will block Japan’s survey plan at any cost.
So we are not out of hot water yet and may need to return to the bomb shelters at any moment, but it does appear cooler heads may be prevailing finally.
The fate of the entire world continues to hang in the balance due to the latest Dokto crisis between South Korea and Japan. Don’t worry though because the South Korean government in their infinite wisdom on this issue may ask Kim Jong Il for help defending the island from those dastardly Japanese oceanic research scientists:
The two Koreas may discuss the threatened incursion of a Japanese research vessel into Korea?s exclusive economic zone during the inter-Korean ministerial talks starting in Pyongyang this Friday. Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he would ?talk to the unification minister? about the matter.
Ban was answering a question from Uri Party lawmaker Choi Sung in the National Assembly. Asked if Korea will seize the Japanese research vessel if it violates the EEZ in the course of what Japan claims is a hydrographic survey near Dokdo, Ban said, ?Concrete steps will be determined depending on how the situation progresses.? The chief diplomat agreed with commentators that it is ?highly likely that Japan is attempting to turn the sensitive Dokdo area into an area of territorial dispute by violating our sovereignty over the islets.?
First of all, what does North Korea have to do with the Dokto controversy between South Korea and Japan. Secondly what could North Korea even do if they do get involved in it? Nuke the research vessel with a No Dong Nuclear tipped warhead? Probably more threatening would be to shut down some pachinko parlors in Osaka? That will really show those wicked Japanese who is boss.
Bringing in the North Koreans into this mess would only play into the Japanese government’s hands because it would further demonstrate the ROK government as behaving irrationally over this issue. The more irrational the ROK government is, the more foreign governments will tend to side with the Japanese government on this issue.
Plus the absurdity of asking North Korea for assistance on this issue just cannot escape me. Remember the North Koreans are the same people who deliberately planned, ambushed, and cold bloodedly killed six South Korean sailors in the Yellow Sea in June of 2002 in order to draw attention away from the South Koreans hosting of that year’s World Cup competition. No apologies, compensation, absolutely nothing from the North Koreans after that incident. In fact the South Korean government went to great lengths to cover up the attack and keep the grieving families quiet.
So now to go ask the murders of South Korean military personnel to come and help them over a small island territorial dispute with Japan just seems ridiculous to me.
This post from the Marmot about Japan’s “invasion” plans of the Dokto islands has to be the funniest post I have read all year. For those in America and across the globe that haven’t heard about the Dokto Islands dispute (If you haven’t, don’t worry the Dokto Riders are coming to a town near you), Japan and Korea have long argued over ownership of these two worthless piece of rocks. However, the squabble IMHO is not about the rocks themselves, but about fishing rights. The Dokto Islands extend Korea’s exclusive economic zone of the surrounding ocean for Korean fishermen.
Japanese fishermen dispute this economic zone and politicians back in Japan eager to gain a voting block take small measures like declaring “Takeshima Day” (the Japanese name for Dokto) in order to show solidarity with the fishermen. I think that the Japanese fishing industry feels that if they keep putting pressure on the Koreans over Dokto they will receive a favorable fishing treaty. Dokto is currently occupied by a small Korean military garrison and patroled with Korean naval destroyers even though there is no chance that Japan will seize the islands by force. This is of course 2006, not 1941.
The current flare up is over a research vessel that is going to be traveling in waters near Dokto:
Korea has vowed to stop a plan by Japanese maritime authorities to dispatch a research vessel into Korea’s exclusive economic zone near Dokdo for a hydrographical survey. Korea has not been informed of a move some say is a deliberate ploy to heighten tensions in the sensitive area………………………….
The government has called in Japanese Ambassador Shotaro Oshima to register a strong protest. “Trespassing into our EEZ without permission is an act of unannounced incursion,” Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan was quoted as telling the envoy. “If Japan follows through with these plans, we will do everything in our power to stop you.” The ambassador responded the area Tokyo intends to survey falls within Japan?s EEZ. However, this would only be the case if the Dokdo islets were Japanese territory, in which case the line between Ulleung Island and Dokdo would mark the limit of both countries? EEZ.
I wonder if the Korean military contingent on Dokto are practicing recall and battle drills to prepare for this invasion of hostile scientists? These scientists could just be a cover though for this contingent of Japanese SDF Marines that were trained in amphibious operations by the US Marine Corps. If these scientists do land on Dokto the soldiers can call up for reinforcements with their cellphones and they could always sic these dogs on them as well.
Dokto Forever!
Well, not really, but do yourself a favor and read Jeff’s post on what these guys have been up to:
Jeff has by far the best post on the Dokto Riders yet. For being from the elite Korean colleges these guys sure can’t spell, but I’m sure they are smart enough to sell a Dokto Riders memoir book in Korea in the future. It will probably feature more poor English as well just like the above sign, but all the Dokto crazy ajumas out there are sure to buy it. Heck they could pull out their motorcycles again and drive around Korea promoting the book. Or better yet they can get their publisher to pay to have them drive around the world again to promote the book.
Well not really by storm but they were in San Francisco and in accordance with Marmot’s guidance make sure you read Jeff’s take on the Dokto Riders in San Francisco.
I have to agree with Jeff that the Dokto Riders should get some props for playing to Korean nationalism in order to finance their 9 month around the world vacation. Look at how much money they got for this road trip:
Funding comes from $20,000 they earned at part-time jobs, $50,000 from the GS Caltex energy corporation, $20,000 from KIUP Bank, and a $10,000 pledge from the Korean Government Information Agency, which also is supplying postcards and maps to distribute, Kim said.
I wonder if there are any Daemado Riders in the works now?
Korean residents return to Dokto Islets:
Two of the three Koreans who are registered residents of Dokdo islet, Kim Seong-do and Kim Shin-yeol, moved back home yesterday after 10 years. The couple left the islet in 1996 after their house collapsed in a storm. Dokdo is claimed by both Japan and Korea. The Maritime Ministry has repaired the couple’s home, and private groups raised funds to buy a new fishing boat for them.
Although the Japanese government has made no efforts to regain the island except for occasional assertions of its sovereignty and suggestions to take the matter to international arbitration, Koreans have been riled by incidents such as last year’s designation of Feb. 22 by Shimane prefecture as “Takeshima Day,” the island’s Japanese name. The timing of the announcement of the couple’s return to the islet was probably no coincidence.
I love that last line “probably no coincidence”. Yeah, I would have to say so. However, I don’t how these people can like living on Dokto. These two rocks are small and far from anything. I’m willing to bet the residents won’t be living there indefinitely.
For more on Dokto the Party Pooper’s February Dokto Post is a must read.
Here is another Dokto related story for all you Dokto watchers out there, you know who you are. These two isolated and desolate rocks in the middle of the East Sea (Sea of Japan) has caused so much debate, hatred, and comedy between Japan and Korea that I just feel obligated to record this silliness for future generations to marvel at.
The latest silliness to come out of the Dokto issue I saw on Occidentalism’s site is the release of official “I Love Dokto” underwear:
This underwear should sell like hotcakes to all the people that bought these T-shirts:
If you haven’t had enough Dokto you can now even buy a Japanese language calendar featuring Dokto:
