Gwangju Gwangsan-gu Council Protests 'East Sea' Being Labeled as 'Sea of Japan'

The Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 11th that it has adopted a 'Resolution Demanding Protest Against the East Sea Being Labeled as the Sea of Japan.'

The resolution was primarily proposed by Councilor Gong Byeong-cheol and was approved at the 1st plenary session of the 282nd extraordinary meeting.

The resolution condemns the South Korean government's lukewarm attitude toward the recent official stance of the U.S. government to label the East Sea as the Sea of Japan, and demands national efforts and effective measures for diplomatic responses.

Councilor Gong stated, "The current government has adopted the 'third-party compensation plan' as a solution to the forced labor issue during Japanese colonial rule and has taken a pro-Japanese stance by representing the Japanese government's position on the issue of contaminated water discharge."

He continued, "Despite the fact that the labeling issue of the 'East Sea' as the 'Sea of Japan,' which is also related to the Dokdo territorial dispute, requires strong protest and correction demands, the government has neither expressed a clear position nor addressed the matter."

He further explained, "Until the mid-19th century, old maps and Japanese maps, as well as diplomatic documents from 1883, labeled the sea as 'Joseon Sea,' but later, during the 'Japanese colonial period' and due to Japan's international influence, the International Hydrographic Organization's publications named the East Sea area as the Sea of Japan, which sparked the controversy."

Councilor Gong condemned, "To correct this, the government and civic groups have long appealed to the international community, but these efforts were discontinued under the current government. Even as Japan moves to legalize the labeling of the Sea of Japan as part of its territorial dispute strategy, the government does not even protest."

He defined this as "neglecting the constitutional duty to protect the nation's territory."

The resolution adopted on this day is scheduled to be delivered to the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Defense Committee, Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, each political party, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

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