Donghae Sea and Dokdo , the Gate of the Korean Peninsula Hak Kim ( Writer , Member of PEN Korea , Professor ) ( Ⅰ ) I dropped by Naksan beach on the way back from an anti - espionage operation with a platoon to Dunjun - ri Kanghyn - myun Yangyang - gun Kangwondo . It was a scorching hot summer weekend in July 1966 . It was such a great pleasure to watch the waves coming in and falling away on the silvery sandy beach that I almost forgot that time was flying . on a shore with a sharp incline unlike the ones on the west coast , I immersed myself into the clean water and felt my body ebbed away deep into the sea , because I myself to float entirely enchanted by the caresses of the refreshing waves and their foam . The caresses were so amorous like the touches of my beloved that I didn ’ t want to get out of the water . I really wanted to enjoy it as much as possible , thinking that such lovely sensations from the waves attract more people to the east coast than to the west . From that moment , I became a fan of the East sea . Whenever I could afford it , I ran to the sea and had an amiable chat with it , looking at such dark blue waves . At the edge of the sea , I felt liberated and refreshed from the bottom of my heart . All trivial mind - boggling things were blown away by the ocean breeze . All was right with my happiness to see the sea with no worldly worries . I even could understand the true meaning of the lyric from a popular song , " Stilly want to see you even when being with you . " I wouldn ’ t mind becoming a Mangbuseok , who was a legendary faithful wife who died and was turned into stone waiting for her husband . I felt like I was flying high in the air like a feather , lifted up by such a refreshing sea wind which was lapping my body without end . It was a day in October 1965 when I first met the East Sea . I went to Mt Seolak as part of my final - year trip from university when I spent a night on the Kyungpo beach . I couldn ’ t fall asleep because of the moonlight shining on the white shoreline and on the pine - tree forest along its edge . It was true that there were three moons in Kyungpo – one in the pond , another in the sea and the last in the sky . Liquor seemed tastier because of such a romantic atmosphere which in turn became sweeter to me after a few glasses of drink . Although that night in October was nippy and chilly , one of my friends took off his clothes and dived into the water . It was so spontaneous that we didn ’ t get a chance to stop him . He was intoxicated by drink , the moonlight and the ambience . I became more distant from the East Sea when I moved to Jeonju , leaving Kangwondo after my military service . Out of sight , out of mind – that was it . I sometimes visited the western and southern seas but I never forgot the eastern sea . Even in the west and the south , I indulge myself in reminiscence of the East Sea . once in a blue moon , when I happened to go to Busan or Pohang , I immediately ran to the sea . However , it was not like the sea at Kyungpo and Naksan , even though it was at the south end of the East Sea . Later , I boarded a ferry Bongrae at the port of Jumoonjin in August 1999 in order to travel to Mt . Keumkang in North Korea across the endless sea of the East Sea . It was my third time to see it . I had to spend two nights on the ferry while travelling on the land during the day . In a way , I slept two nights lying on the bed of the East Sea . ( Ⅱ ) There was a popular song , " Dokdo ’ s our land . " It was a song with lyrics telling much about the history , geography and nature of Dokdo . The lyric was so long that I didn ’ t dare to memorize it . Whenever I heard the song on the radio , however , I always had a wish to visit Dokdo at least once . I never got a chance , though . 80 kilometers away on the east - south from Woolreungdo / There is a lonely isle for sea birds / Whoever says it ’ s theirs , Dokdo is our land . / Mt 63 Dodong Woolreungeup Kyungsanbukdo / East longitude 132 , North 37 degrees , average temperature 12 degrees , rainfall 1300 , Dokdo is our land / / Cuttlefish , squid , cod , haddock , turtle , salmon eggs , Sea bird eggs , Resting place for divers / 170 thousand square , one spring , one crater , Dokdo is our land / / The first part of the lyric can help you get a perfect score of the geography of Dokdo . A teacher who is on the point of retirement at the age of nearly 80 sings the song whenever he goes to karaoke . This is the first song sung by him , who always chooses patriotic songs . Closing his eyes without looking at the words on the screen , his scream - like song makes people around him almost deaf . In the 13 th year of King Jijeung , it was called Woosankuk / appearing on page 50 in the geography book of Sejong / Hawaii is American , Daemado is unknown , but Dokdo is our land / / Just after the Russia - Japan war , it is a real nonsense to claim Dokdo is an island with no owner / Leesabu , a Shilla general , guffaws under the ground . Dokdo is our land . The second part of the song ensures that Dokdo is Korean , demonstrating some historical facts about it . The old teacher sings this song without making a mistake in the words . It is only thanks to him that I can remember this song , after a long period of forgetting it . I began to think that it is great to have the song sung by every single Korean , by broadcasting it on the radio , the internet and TV every day . How dare Japan claim that Dokdo is theirs if this is sung is sung by every one of 70 million Koreans , every day . ( Ⅲ ) Dokdo is a lonely volcanic island , 87 . 4 kilometers away from Woolreung Island . It consists of two big islands both in the east and the west , plus some small islets . It is more like a period mark or the gate of Korea in the East Sea . When did it start to be called Dokdo , then ? The first document registering Dokdo is from the 10 th year of Kwangmoo , in 1906 . According to a report kept in the archives of the Woolreunggun Office , it was recorded as " Our jurisdiction Dokdo " on the 5 of March by lunar calendar . Macheonyarok recorded it as Dokdo in the same year , too . But Japan deleted this name after occupying it by force during the Russia - Japan war and started to call it Takeshima . Meanwhile , France recorded it as Liancourt on the map while the UK named it Hornet . In fact , the Dokdo problem started from that moment . It was a really outrageous occasion . Even though it obviously had the name Dokdo and was well taken care of by Korea , this absurd event happened . As an old Korean proverb says , it is more like having one ’ s nose cut with one ’ s eyes open . In fact , Takeshima was the name used to refer to Woolreungdo by the Japanese since 1693 ( the 19 th year of Sukjong ) , but Japan changed Woolreungo ’ s name to Matshima and then to Dokdo - Takeshima . France called it Liancourt because a French whaling vessel of the same name discovered it in 1849 . Hornet was given to the island because a steamship bearing this name , which belonged to the British fleet in China , discovered it in 1885 . What a strange situation this is ! The island had already been called Woosan - Sambong since the early Chosun dynasty , as a district of Wooljinhyun , Kangwondo . The Sejong chronicle clarified the subjective islands of Wooljinhyun as being Woosando and Mooreungdo and Dongkuk - yeoji . Mapsalso recorded it as an are a belonging to Wooljinhyun . The history of Dokdo demonstrates clearly the roots of its sovereignty , so how could people name it differently just by happening to run into it on their voyages ? Tomorrow , I will go to karaoke with the old teacher and listen to his song of Dokdo again .