English version of book on Dokdo released

The National Assembly Library yesterday released an English-translated version of a book about the controversy surrounding Dokdo, referred to as Takeshima in Japan.

The book, titled "The Dokdo/Takeshima Controversy," criticizes Japan`s claim over the islets in the East Sea, based on a study of historical materials collected from Korea, Japan and the United States.

Dokdo consists of 89 tiny islets formed from volcanic activity.



For decades, Seoul and Tokyo have been involved in a territorial dispute involving the sovereignty over Dokdo, the nation`s easternmost set of islets that Japan also claims ownership of.

The book features historic references such as a memorandum written in 1696 about the arrival of a Korean boat to the seashore, a confidential document sent by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and a chronology of the islets.

Co-authored by Park Byoung-sup, a Korean Dokdo specialist residing in Japan, and Naito Seichu, who serves as a professor at Shimane University in Japan, its Japanese edition was published earlier.

"This book intends to help reduce meaningless friction between the two countries by shedding light on the history of Dokdo or Takeshima generally not known to ordinary people," Park said in the preface.

He also said that together with his Japanese partner, he focused on the territorial sovereignty issue from a factual perspective rather than one concerned with nationality.

The book can be found at the National Assembly Library. Visit: www.nanet.go.kr/english to find out more information.

(sharon@heraldm.com)



By Cho Ji-hyun