Hello. We are the Dokdo Riders, a group of young Korean students on a worldwide motorcycle tour in an attempt to make it known to people around the world that Dokdo is Korean territory. We have set out to travel across three continents: from Los Angeles to New York in North America, from London to Istanbul in Europe and from Istanbul to Seoul in Asia.

   First of all, we are very glad to have this opportunity to visit you. We have come here from a distant country, Korea, to inform you of the truths about Dokdo, which is Korean territory. Dokdo is a group of rocky islets, with two main islands, Dongdo and Seodo, in the middle of the East Sea, with a total area of 186.121 square meters. South Korea’s Coast Guard has been stationed on Dongdo since 1954. However, Japan has made constant claims to Dokdo, when in fact it is clearly under Korea’s sovereignty. Having given Dokdo a Japanese name, Takeshima, they are insisting that the island belongs to them.

   The Korean people were infuriated on March 16, 2005, when Shimane Prefecture in Japan passed a bill declaring February 22 as "Takeshima Day." In defiance of the Korean people, Japan instituted the day to honor the islets as their own territory. This without doubt is an infringement of Korea’s jurisdiction, which, in turn, is a blow to the goodwill between the two nations.

   This outrageous incident on March 16, 2005, is only one of many instances of their provocations. Despite the unquestionable fact that Dokdo belongs to Korea with Korea’s Coast Guard stationed there, Japan’s rightist politicians have repeatedly made reckless remarks denying Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo. The following are some of those remarks.


1. Foreign Affairs Minister Muto in 1993:
“Dokdo is Japanese territory in terms of history and international law. “

2. Prime minister Hashimoto in October 1999:
Claimed Japanese sovereignty over Dokdo.

3. Prime minister Mori on September 19, 2000:
“Dokdo belongs to us. “

4. Shimane Prefecture Governor Sumita on February 27, 2001:
“Korea illegally seized Dokdo. “

5. Ambassador to Korea Takano on February 23, 2005:
“Takeshima is historically and legally Japan’s territory. “


   As you can see, there has been a string of outrageous remarks by Japan’s top-tier rightist politicians.

   In response to these ridiculous remarks and the declaration of "Takeshima Day," Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun had no other choice but to express his strong regrets to Japan. In April, 2005, in an interview with Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, a leading German daily newspaper, President Roh said that Dokdo had been taken during Japan’s war of aggression but was returned to Korea in 1945 and their attempts to reclaim Dokdo were unacceptable. He added that Korea has abundant historical, legal and geographical evidence that Korea has had sovereignty over and has actually controlled the islands for a long, long time. More importantly, he emphasized, we have to recognize the fact that Japan seized it through aggression.

  As President Roh observed, Dokdo was brought back to Korea where it belongs with Japan’s defeat in the World War II after a short, illegitimate incorporation into Japan. To give you more detailed information, when the Russo-Japanese war broke out in 1904, Japan came to Dokdo in the middle of the East Sea to build a naval watchtower and keep an eye on the Russian fleet, soon incorporating the island as their territory. Following its defeat in World War II, Japan was legally obligated in the 1943 Cairo and 1945 Potsdam Declarations to return the entire pre-colonial Korean territory, including Dokdo, which they had acquired with "violence and greed."

  Why do Japan’s rightist politicians continue to trigger conflicts between the two nations over Dokdo? Amity between neighboring countries is very important for diplomacy. Should Korea and Japan forge politically amicable relations, they would be able to enjoy cultural, economic and sport exchanges, growing in national strength and fortifying the security and peace of Northeast Asia together. Nevertheless, instead of pursuing amity, Japan’s rightist politicians choose to foment never-ending friction with their provocations. We cannot but wonder whether they see Korea as a neighbor they want to promote good relations with or an object for a future invasion a second time around.

  The countries that experienced indescribable atrocities caused by the colonial rule and aggression of Japan, including Korea and China are still casting suspicious eyes on Japan. That is because we have wonder whether, since World War II, they have reflected on the war that they began from the bottom of their hearts. If they have truly reflected on their crimes, we cannot understand why they continue to encroach on Dokdo. Japan’s right-wing politicians who are continuously triggering conflicts over Dokdo , which is clearly a Korean territory by international law, remind us of the war criminals of Japan who provoked the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Much the same as now, Japan was a military powerhouse of East Asia at that time and it used its power to invade neighboring countries. Japan’s wars of aggression inflicted intolerable pains on the peoples of numerous countries. The peoples in Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines were colonized, exploited and even killed.

  However, these peoples were not the only victims of Japan’s imperialism. This was also a misfortune for Japan . Being brainwashed by the Emperor and imperialists, ordinary citizens of Japan volunteered to fight in China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. They ultimately died in a barrage of bullets and bombs far from home on remote islands.

  When Italy surrendered and Germany was destroyed, the defeat of Japan was a unavoidable outcome. Nevertheless, the Japanese imperialists continued to sacrifice their own people in their war of agression. Indeed, in the Battle of Okinawa, hundreds of thousands of Japanese people, including young school girls and boys, not to mention soldiers, were killed. Atomic bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, taking the lives of hundreds of thousands more. The Japanese people were the victims of the war that the Japanese imperialists began.

  The reason we are making Korea’s case about the Dokdo issue to the international community is to prevent the unfortunate history from repeating itself. We are seeking to block the bid of right-wing Japanese politicians ,the spiritual descedants of the imperialists, to incorporate the islands into their territory. By realizing peace at Dokdo, we are hoping to develop a good relationship with Japan, and achieve peace in Northeast Asia and further in the world. Dokdo is, and has for centuries been, an integral part of Korean territory. Under the present international laws, there are no grounds for Japan to claim sovereignty over the islands. In this context, for Japan to claim sovereignty over Dokdo seems quite absurd.

  Japan’s right-wing movement who are claiming that Dokdo is their territory are descendants of the imperialists who provoked the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. They still regard neighboring countries of East Asia not as partners in the promotion of good international relations, but as objects for their aggression. The right-wing movement represents the greatest threat to the peace of East Asia today.

  For the sake of peace on the Korean peninsula, in East Asia and throughout the world, the citizens of the world should support efforts to foil the ambition of Japan to reclaim Dokdo island. In collaboration with well-advised civic organizations of Japan, we should work to undermine attempts to reassert Japan’s imperialism and hegemony. This is the only way to make sure the historical tragedy of 60 years ago will not be repeated.

  If you locate, by any chance, maps, articles, broadcasts or publications which depict Dokdo as Takeshima, please rename them with Dokdo. As you have already seen from the account that we provided, restoring the title Dokdo is a matter of truth not choice. The island should be called Dokdo because it clearly belongs to Korea. The settlement of this territorial dispute would also contribute to the maintenance of world peace. We are here to let the truth be known to people around the world, including Japanese rightists, and to help resolve this conflict. We firmly believe that our righteous efforts will solidify the peace of East Asia and the entire globe as well.