"Beautiful Island Dok Do" Banner Appears at Jakarta Gas Station

Local Korean Installation

A giant mural of Dok Do with the phrase 'Beautiful Island Dok Do' has appeared at a gas station in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, drawing significant attention.

Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University said on his Facebook on the 24th, "This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia, and I have received many reports about Jakarta. Among them, the most surprising report was that there is a gas station in downtown Jakarta with a giant Dok Do mural."

Professor Seo revealed related photos and explained, "I was curious about who could have done such a wonderful thing, and after looking into it, I found out that the mural has been there for quite some time and was initiated by Koreans living abroad."

A gas station in downtown Jakarta, Indonesia, featuring a mural of Dokdo. [Image source=Professor Seokyoung Deok, Sungshin Women's University Facebook]

He said, "The remarkable actions of our Koreans living overseas are a tremendous force in promoting Dok Do worldwide," adding, "In the past, there were many requests to send the New York Times full-page Dok Do advertisement file, so I sent it to Koreans abroad. Two Koreans living in Guam even paid out of their own pockets to place the same full-page ad in the 'Pacific Daily News.'"

He continued, "A Korean voluntarily placed a full-page Dok Do advertisement in the 'Samoa News,' published in Samoa in the South Pacific, spreading awareness of Dok Do to various island nations in the South Pacific, as well as to soldiers from American Samoa in Hawaii and the U.S. mainland," and "a Korean laundry owner in New York printed Dok Do on garment covers and distributed them to customers."

Finally, Professor Seo said, "I firmly believe that this case of the Jakarta gas station has also greatly contributed to widely promoting Dok Do among Indonesians."

Japan labels 'Takeshima' on weather maps... "Instills incorrect perception"

Weather map by the Japan Meteorological Agency marking Dokdo as Japanese territory. [Image source=Seokyeongdeok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University Facebook]

Recently, Japanese authorities caused controversy by labeling Dok Do as Japanese territory again. Last week, as Typhoon No. 7 'Lan' approached Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency labeled Dok Do as 'Takeshima (竹島)'.

In response, Professor Seo pointed out, "The biggest problem is that many Japanese netizens visit the meteorological agency's website during typhoon and tsunami warnings, which can instill incorrect perceptions about Dok Do."

Professor Seo said, "I sent a protest email," emphasizing, "The reason for continuous protests is that even if they do not change the labeling, it is very important to point out what is wrong and keep a record of efforts to correct it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.