12-05-04 4:21 AM

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No sea change for East Sea
| '^j 2012-04-30 17:27 | ( 2012-05-01 10:48
By Andrew 5a|non
1a|k about news of eartn-snak|ng |nternat|ona| |nportance. ln |onaco |ast
week, tne lnternat|ona| Hydrograpn|c Organ|zat|on tne body tnat sets off|c|a|
geograpn|c p|ace nanes for naps re]ected roreas denand to add ``|ast 5ea
a|ongs|de ``5ea of Japan wnen denot|ng tne body of water d|v|d|ng tne nat|ons.
1ne exc|us|ve use of `5ea of Japan w||| cont|nue tnrougn 2D'7 wnen tne
debate re-opens.
5urpr|s|ng|y, tne lHO dec|s|on nas not sparked ed|tor|a| rants, denonstrat|ons
outs|de tne Japanese enbassy, se|f-appo|nted ``|| gurus buy|ng up ad space |n
O.5. newspapers or ex-rorean spec|a| agents snoot|ng f|re arrows |nto
|onacos roya| pa|ace.
Wny ``surpr|s|ng|y? We||, tne nan|ng debate |s an |ssue tnat nany roreans get
extraord|nar||y not under tne co||ar about.
|ets get sone |nternat|ona| perspect|ve. |or a|nost a century, ``5ea of Japan
nas been tne nost connon, off|c|a| des|gnat|on. |or nat|ons, acaden|c
|nst|tut|ons and pub||sners wor|dw|de to cnange tne nane |n naps, at|ases and
otner pub||cat|ons wou|d requ|re na]or efforts and |nvestnents. 1nus, any
argunent for cnange nust be rock so||d.
l ||ve |n rorea, an narr|ed to a |oca| and {genera||y) ||ke rorea. l nave no
re|at|onsn|p w|tn Japan. ln snort, l an read|er to synpatn|ze w|tn roreas case.
Yet tn|s countrys argunents are not conpe|||ng to ne, nor to ]udge fron
non-rorean fr|ends react|ons tne w|der |nternat|ona| aud|ence.
roreas pr|nary argunent seens to be tnat n|stor|ca||y, tne body of water was
nore w|de|y dubbed ``|ast 5ea. 1n|s |s prob|enat|c: ||enty of |nternat|ona| naps
dat|ng back to tne '7tn century nark |t ``5ea of Japan. rorea says tnat anong
o|d naps |n tne O5 ||brary of Congress, GG percent use ``|ast 5ea. Japan,
nav|ng surveyed tne sane nater|a|s, |ns|sts 77 percent use ``5ea of Japan.

12-05-04 4:21 AM
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And tn|s argunent |s not ]ust quest|onab|e, |t |s |rre|evant. 1n|s |s tne 2'st
century, not tne Joseon r|ngdon, tn|s |s a geograpn|c |ssue, not a n|stor|ca| one.
No |nternat|ona| pr|nc|p|e tnat l know of suggests a return to pre-nodern p|ace
nanes, tnere |s p|enty of |og|c aga|nst |t. 5nou|d lraq revert to |esopotan|a?
lran to |ers|a? 5nou|d 5eou| renane |tse|f re|]o, Hanseong, or W|ryeseong?
5peak|ng of n|story, l an t|red of roreans preacn|ng about now non-roreans
nust |earn ``r|gnt or ``correct n|story. Wnat tney actua||y nean |s ``roreans
|nterpretat|on of n|story, for n|story |s not sc|ence, and beyond certa|n bas|c
facts, n|stor|ca| events and trends are open to |nterpretat|on. l nave yet to read
an art|c|e |n tne |oca| press tnat acknow|edges oppos|ng argunents tne
pract|ce seens to be, ``lgnore tnen, and restate tne rorean s|de.
1n|s |s a poor node| for debate. |oreover, as a debate, tne |ssue |acks
|ongev|ty. rorea becane |ndependent of Japan |n 'S45, but {as far as l an
aware), tne sea nane d|spute arose on|y |n 'SS7 |.e. 52 years after a 35-
year co|on|a| ru|e.
Anotner argunent |s tnat roreans ca||ed |t ``|ast 5ea for |onger tnan non-
roreans ca||ed |t ``5ea of Japan, and sone po|nt out tnat `|ast 5ea features |n
5outn roreas nat|ona| antnen. ||ne. roreans are we|cone to ca|| tne body of
water to tne|r east anytn|ng tney ||ke on tne|r naps, books and songs. But wny
snou|d tne rest of tne wor|d fo||ow su|t?
Otners argue tnat tne sea was dubbed ``5ea of Japan as a resu|t of Japans
co|on|zat|on, or at a t|ne wnen rorea was under Japanese ru|e, so cou|d not
argue. 1n|s |s on|y part|y tne case, as pre-nodern naps prove. Wnat |s
unquest|onab|e |s tnat Japans brand en]oyed n|gner v|s|b|||ty tnan roreas |n tne
|ate 'Btn and ear|y 'Stn centur|es, Japan, under |e|]|, opened, nodern|zed and
becane a reg|ona| and wor|d power. No nane-cnange on naps can erase tnat.
And sone fret tnat ``5ea of Japan undern|nes roreas ownersn|p of Dokdo.
1n|s argunent |s so enpty of precedent or |og|c tnat |t requ|res no refutat|on.
As l see |t, tne rea| reason roreans want a nane cnange |s s|np|e. Nat|ona||sn
|s a powerfu| enot|ve force |n Nortneast As|a |n genera| and |n rorea |n
part|cu|ar. A cornerstone of rorean nat|ona||sn |s d|strust, d|s||ke or natred of
Japan. 1n|s, l tn|nk, |s tne rea| force ben|nd tne ``|ast 5ea canpa|gn.
12-05-04 4:21 AM
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A|as, se|f-r|gnteous, |ntrospect|ve canpa|gn|ng on grounds of wounded nat|ona|
pr|de w|ns few |nternat|ona| a|||es or votes. On tne contrary, a |ow-key,
restra|ned approacn nay be nore effect|ve. Japan nas certa|n|y been a |ess
aggress|ve advocate. 5eou| sent a 'G-nan de|egat|on to tne lHO, 1okyo ]ust
n|ne. A searcn of Goog|e news f|nds over 3D rorean reports, but ]ust one fron
Japan.
Wn||e roreas consuner exports, pop cu|ture products and tour|sn narket|ng
w|n fr|ends around tne wor|d, l an w||||ng to bet tnat nat|ona||st enot|ng does
not. lf tne ``|ast 5ea |ssue can be |a|d to rest, and roreans refocus on nat|ona|,
ratner tnan nat|ona||st agendas, so nucn tne better.
However, l dont see tnat nappen|ng: 1oo nucn pass|on |s |nvested.
5o, |f you are pub||c|ty-seek|ng acaden|c, grandstand|ng |awnaker, wannabe
``|| guru or nat|ona||st crackpot, l suggest a new canpa|gn to un|easn tne
]|ngo|st|c fur|es: ``|A51 5|A 2D'7 O| WA|!
Andrew 5a|non |s a 5eou|-based reporter and autnor. H|s |atest work,
``5corcned |artn, B|ack 5now, was pub||sned |n |ondon |n June. |eacn n|n at
andrewcsa|non_yanoo.co.uk.
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