Korean claim to Tsushima Island concerns a territorial issue over Tsushima (対馬), a large island in the

Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channe ...

between the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

and the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. The island, which is known as the Daemado in Korean, has been controlled by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

since at least the

8th century The 8th century is the period from 701 ( DCCI) through 800 ( DCCC) in accordance with the Julian Calendar. The coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula quickly came under Islamic Arab domination. The westward expansion of the Umayyad E ...

, but some historic Korean governments have claimed that the island is rightfully Korean territory. Some have also taken unofficial steps to attempt to assert a potential Korean claim in modern times, even though the island is currently not officially claimed in any way by either

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

History

Sanguozhi, the official historical records of the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China (220–280 A.D.) written in the third century, recorded that the island was an ancient country of

Wa (Japan) is the oldest attested name of Japan in foreign sources (names such as Fusang or Penglai are mythological or legendary, thus are not considered). The Chinese and Korean scribes regularly wrote it in reference to the inhabitants of the Wa K ...

. Similarly the

samguk sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

states that Japan ruled the island since CE 400. When the ancient law system

Ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki' ...

of Japan was established (somewhere between 645 and 701 A.D.),

Tsushima Province was an old province of Japan on Tsushima Island which occupied the area corresponding to modern-day Tsushima, Nagasaki. It was sometimes called . Political history The origin of Tsushima Province is unclear. It is possible that Tsushima was r ...

formally became a province of Japan. Since then, Tsushima Province has been a part of Japan, except for the temporary occupation by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

during the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of m ...

(1274 and 1281). Though the royal court of

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

Korea (1392-1897) recognized that the island was inhabited and controlled by Japanese, it generally maintained that the island had been Korean territory since ancient times, and that despite the lengthy Japanese occupation of the island it fundamentally rightfully belonged to Korea. The Sō samurai household, loyal vassals of each successive Japanese

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

who acted as governors or lords of Tsushima since the 12th century, were also claimed as vassals by the kings of Joseon and consistently behaved accordingly. The island was described by

Hayashi Shihei was a Japanese military scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain. His name is sometimes transliterated (according to the Sino-Japanese reading) as ''Rin Shihei''. Biography Hayashi was born in Edo as the second son of Hayashi Gonhyoue Yos ...

in ''

Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu by Hayashi Shihei (1738–93) was published in Japan in 1785. This book represents one of the earliest attempts to define Japan in terms of its outer boundaries. It represented a modern effort to distinguish Japan from the neighboring nations. ...

'', which was published in 1785. As in many Japanese publications of the time, it was identified as part of Japan.

20th century

In 1946, the

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

(SCAP) defined

to include the four main islands and approximately 1000 nearby islands, including Tsushima.Schoenbaum, Thomas J. (2007)
''Peace in Northeast Asia: Resolving Japan's Territorial and Maritime Disputes with China, Korea and the Russian Federation,'' p. 108
In 1948, the Republic of Korea (ROK) asserted its sovereignty over the island based on "historical claims".
retrieved 2013-4-2. In 1949, the SCAP rejected South Korea's claim. In 1951, United States-Korea negotiations about the

Treaty of San Francisco The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and including World War II. It w ...

made no mention of Tsushima Island."Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs in the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Emmons),"
''Foreign Relations'' 1951, Vol. VI, pp. 1202-1203; excerpt, "Mr. Dulles noted that paragraph 1 of the Korean Ambassador's communication made no reference to the island of Tsushima and the Korean Ambassador agreed that this had been omitted." After this, the status of Tsushima as an island of Japan was re-confirmed by the US. In 1974, Korea and Japan reaffirmed that Tsushima is part of Japan.Charney, Jonathan I. and Lewis M. Alexander. (1998)
''International Maritime Boundaries,'' p. 141 n75

21st century

In 2008, a small minority of members of the

National Assembly of South Korea The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years ...

proposed claiming Tsushima as part of Korea. "Japanese island haunted by turbulent ties with Korea,"
''Agence France-Presse'' (AGF). 21 August 2008; retrieved 2012-4-3. There were 50 members in this group.Note: There are 300 members of the

Korean National Assembly The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. T ...

-- ''see'' Kim, Tae-jong
"A Look at Election Through Numbers,"
''Korea Times,'' 9 April 2008; retrieved 2013-4-2. In 2010, some members of the National Assembly proposed a study of Korea's territorial claims to Tsushima.
''Chosun Ilbo'' (ROK). 28 September 2010; retrieved 2013-4-3. There were 37 members in this group. In 2013, a South Korean court decided the

preliminary injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in p ...

that provisionally prevented a Buddhist statue stolen from a temple in Tsushima to South Korea from returning to the temple. A document found in the Buddhist statue showed that the statue was made in a Korean temple Buseoksa in 1330. Based on this record, some Koreans assume that the statue was moved illegally from Korea to Japan by

Wokou ''Wokou'' (; Japanese: ''Wakō''; Korean: 왜구 ''Waegu''), which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 16th century.

in the late 14th century. Additionally, Buseoksa declared its ownership over the statue. This news provoked another wave of anger amongst the islanders and throughout much of Japan, as it was assumed that this could be a sign of Korean territorial ambitions.

Timeline

* 1946: SCAP lists Tsushima as part of Japan * 1950: Korea claims the island * 1951: South Korea sets aside claim to Tsushima * 1974: South Korea-Japan treaty reconfirms Tsushima is Japanese island * 2005: South Korean city Changwon City claims the island as South Korean territory. * 2008: 50 members of ROK National Assembly propose re-claiming Tsushima * 2010: 37 members of ROK National assembly propose study about re-claiming the island

United States' position

A 1950 United States' report titled ''Korea's Recent Claim to the Island of Tsushima'' analyzed the Korean claim and says:

References

External links

The Territorial Dispute Over Dokdo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsushima Island Dispute Japan–Korea relations Korean nationalism