Local council moves to designate 'Daemado Day'

By Lee Kyung-min

The district council of Saha in Busan recently passed a unanimous motion calling for efforts to “reclaim” sovereignty over the Japanese island of Tsushima, called Daemado in Korean.

The motion calls for designating April 13 as Daemado Day to raise public awareness of the island, which is now part of Nagasaki Prefecture.

Councilors from the district claim the island is Korean territory, but is occupied illegally by Japan.

“There should be administrative and financial support from provincial and central governments to reclaim the island,” the motion reads.

April 13 is the day when Korean soldiers won their first victory during the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 16th century.

The council approved the motion at a plenary session on Dec. 22.

It will take effect if Saha District Office approves. However, the district office has asked the council to give up the motion, citing difficulties in pushing for the measures it includes.

“They are obviously beyond the capacity of a district office,” a Saha official said.

The motion is seen as a response to Japan’s claims to Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets in the East Sea. Japan calls them Takeshima.

On Feb. 22 last year, Japan held the ninth yearly event in Shimane Prefecture to celebrate of what they call “Takeshima Day.”

At the time, more than 500 Japanese attended the event including high-ranking government officials, lawmakers, and ordinary citizens. Since the designation of the day in 2005, the Japanese prefectural government has been holding the event every year, causing public uproar here.

The same day, here, hundreds of protestors from civic groups as well as politicians rallied in front of the Japanese embassy denouncing the move.