Hoya Jiri Museum to Hold Special Exhibition "Japanese Maps Depicting Dokdo as Korean Territory" in Yeongwol

Special Exhibition of Japanese Maps Depicting Dokdo as Korean Territory
Japanese Maps Proved Dokdo as "Korean Territory" for Over 350 Years Before Liberation

Hoya Jiri Museum (Director: Yang Jaeryong) announced on December 11 that it will hold a special exhibition titled "Japanese Maps Depicting Dokdo as Korean Territory" at the exhibition hall on the first floor of the Yeongwol Culture and Arts Center from December 15 to 21.

Special Exhibition Items at Hoya Jiri Museum. Provided by Yeongwol County

This exhibition, now in its second year following last year's event, brings to Yeongwol the maps that were previously showcased at the special exhibition held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on October 25 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of "Dokdo Ordinance Day."

Since its opening in 2007, Hoya Jiri Museum has consistently collected and researched maps proving "Dokdo as Korean territory" for 18 years. This exhibition presents the results of these efforts, organized into four main themes.

First, it highlights how, in the history of human migration, only the Korean people have consistently depicted the identity of "Dokdo as Korean territory" on maps.

Second, it sheds light on the fact that Joseon was the first country in the world to map Dokdo on the East Coast. ▲ Early Joseon maps (early 15th century to mid-18th century) used a unique method of folding Ulleungdo and Usando (Dokdo) outside the map frame or swapping their positions. These maps depict Usando (Dokdo) to the west of Ulleungdo and Ulleungdo as the easternmost island in the East Sea (5 works). ▲ Later Joseon maps (mid-18th century to present) unfolded the earlier maps, clearly depicting Dokdo to the east of Ulleungdo, confirming that Joseon was the first in the world to portray Dokdo as the easternmost island in the East Sea (6 works). ▲ Additionally, a full-scale replica of Kim Jeongho's "Daedongyeojido," a masterpiece of precise surveying from the late Joseon period, will be displayed, illustrating the sophistication of mapping techniques, even though Dokdo itself was not depicted.

Third, the exhibition presents map data confirming that Japan also long recognized Dokdo and Ulleungdo as Joseon territory. ▲ Following early Joseon maps from the 15th and 16th centuries, Japanese maps up to the late 19th century depicted Usando (Dokdo) to the west of Ulleungdo, labeling it with Korean place names and thereby proving "Dokdo as Korean territory" for over 300 years (7 works). ▲ In the mid-18th century, Japan labeled Dokdo as Jukdo (竹島, Takeshima) and Ulleungdo as Songdo (松島, Matsushima), but made the error of depicting Ulleungdo as the easternmost island in the East Sea (8 works). ▲ The 1905 "Shimane Prefecture Notice" was an administrative document changing the name Songdo to Jukdo (Takeshima), yet even after this, Japanese maps continued to depict Jukdo (Takeshima) as Joseon territory, leaving behind evidence that contradicts Japan's territorial claims (8 works).

Fourth, the exhibition focuses on how Western maps, relying on Japanese maps, repeatedly perpetuated various historical errors. ▲ Until the 17th century, Western maps depicted Korea as an island, but from the 18th century onward, they began to draw it as a peninsula, maintaining the "Sea of Korea era" for about 120 years (8 works). ▲ From the early 19th century, the label "Sea of Japan" appeared, and as Western cartographers relied on Japanese maps, they repeatedly made the critical mistake of depicting Ulleungdo as the easternmost island in the East Sea (7 works). ▲ In 1848, when Usando (Dokdo) was discovered east of Ulleungdo, Western maps began labeling it as "Liancourt Rocks," as if it were a newly discovered island, thus sparking the "Dokdo issue" (5 works). ▲ This Japanese bias continues to this day, as some Western maps still perpetuate the same errors (8 works).

Director Yang Jaeryong stated, "The core of this exhibition is to reveal that Japan's aggression toward Dokdo was ultimately a 'war of maps.' I hope this exhibition will serve as a guide to informing the world of the truth that Dokdo is Korean territory, using the definitive evidence provided by maps." He also emphasized, "Resolving the current Dokdo issue facing Korea should not stop at responding to Japanese provocations, but must prioritize correcting the errors in world maps that continue to be drawn with a Japanese bias."

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