S. Korea to release online multilingual information on Dokdo

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's state-run think tank said Tuesday that it will start distributing online educational material supporting the country's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.

The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) under the Ministry of Land, Transport and
Maritime Affairs said the material written in Korean, English, Japanese and
Chinese can be posted freely on personal Internet homepages and blogs.
It can also be sent to people who want to learn more about the historical
background of the islets that have been part of Korea for centuries.
The KMI in July published booklets of the material and distributed them to
schools, foreign diplomatic missions and aid groups that operate abroad.
The material includes important historical and legal background pertaining to the
islets and South Korea's sovereignty over them.
In particular, the new material provides readers with official Japanese
government documents written in 1696, 1870 and 1877 that clearly acknowledge that
the islets do not belong to Japan. It also shows the Korean government's official
decree issued in 1900 that placed Dokdo under the administrative jurisdiction of
Ulleung Island, which lies 87 kilometers northwest of the islets.
The Dokdo issue has marred bilateral relations with Japan for decades, as Japan
has repeatedly claimed that the islets, which lie between the two countries, are
Japanese territory.
The Korean Peninsula was colonized by Japan from 1910-1945, and Japan officially
annexed the Dokdo islets in 1905 by claiming they were owned by no other country.
Meanwhile, the latest move by Seoul to assert its ownership of the islets marks
the first time that South Korea has officially compiled foreign-language
educational materials on Dokdo and its history.
yonngong@yna.co.kr