By Kim Young-won
Before dawn on the first day of the New Year, many people gravitate toward the beautiful coastline on the eastern part of the country to usher it in. Beholding the sun slowly rising over the horizon in the distance, people renew their determination ranging from a simple wish such as quitting smoking to a rather heavy resolve like the unification of the divided nation.
Not to mention its breathtaking scenery, the east coast overlooking the East Sea is reputed for its attractiveness as a spot for appreciating the first sunrise of the New Year. This year was not an exception. The long coastline by the East Sea was overflowing with bustling crowds harboring different New Year's resolutions. And I was among them with an uncomfortable feeling, asking myself why the body of water before me should be called the Sea of Japan in many foreign territories.
This sea area between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago became widely known as the Sea of Japan after the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) chose to use the name in its 1929 Special Publication No. 23 (Limits of Oceans and Seas) designed to establish international limits and names of oceans and seas.
What the world may not have realized is that at the time of the publication in 1929, Korea was under Japanese colonial rule and regrettably unable to voice its objection to such a decision. Now, the naming dispute has erupted between Korea and Japan again.
The cause has been the object of increasing attention in the international community. Japan insists that only one name, the Sea of Japan, be used since the designation has been internationally established. On the contrary, Korea proposes that both names, ``East Sea'' and ``Sea of Japan,'' be used concurrently until the two countries agree on a common designation.
Why do Koreans object to the single use of the name Sea of Japan? Koreans have referred to this sea area as the East Sea for 2,000 years and do so even today. As geographical names often have serious implications for the perception of a nation's identity, culture, and history, the issue involving the East Sea also carries symbolic importance for the Korean nation whose national anthem begins with the words, ``East Sea.''
Furthermore, the sea area is shared by four countries: Korea, North Korea, Japan, and Russia, consisting of territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of each country. It is, therefore, inappropriate to name this area after one particular country when several countries share sovereignty and jurisdiction. It is against this backdrop that Korea is asking the international community to use ``East Sea'' and ``Sea of Japan'' simultaneously as the international standardization rules require, until the issue is settled in an amicable manner.
Korea has made continuous efforts to bring the legitimate name ``East Sea'' back to its rightful place on world maps since it raised the issue actively in the international arena in the wake of joining the United Nations in 1991. Some progress has since been made. Fortunately, the international community is showing more and more understanding for this cause.
As a matter of fact, it is unnatural that waters off our beautiful coast in the east should be called the Sea of Japan. It is absurd that Korea's offshore islands should float on the surface of the Sea of Japan.
I have a long wish list for the New Year. Among many things, my humble but earnest wish is that the naming dispute should not get in the way of the sound development of bilateral relations between Korea and Japan in this era of globalization in which cooperation among nations for peace and co-prosperity becomes a keyword. I look forward to the day we will be able to welcome the first sunrise of the New Year by the East Sea, not by the Sea of Japan.
The writer is an ambassador at Northeast Asian History Foundation