Dokdo (with a total area of 180,902 square meters) is located 87.4 kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo in the sea, and is a volcanic island composed of rocky islets. The exact location is 131 degrees 52 minutes east longitude and 37 degrees 14 minutes north latitude.
Silla (BC57-AD935) King Jijeong (reigned 500-514) in the 13th year (512), Isseo (a general and statesman during the reign of King Jinhyeong) took over the state of Usanguk, which was made up of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, to be owned by Silla, and it is recorded that the state of Usanguk came under the ownership of Silla in the sixth month of the year. It is recorded in history that "in the sixth month of the lunar month, the state of Usanguk was returned to Silla".
Kim Ziju depicted the shape of Dokdo (then known as Sambong Island) in the Sungjongsillok (Annals of King Sungjong) of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). During the Joseon Dynasty, Dokdo was also known as Sambongdo, Kochido, and Usando, and was renamed Dokdo in 1881. Shim Hyung-taek, the governor of Ulleung-gun, was the first to officially use the name Dokdo in 1906, and then it was incorporated into Gyeongsangbuk-do during the reorganization of the administrative region in 1914.
After the Imjin War (Japan's invasion of Korea in 1592), Japanese fishermen frequented the waters off Ulleungdo and Dokdo. An Yong-bok then went east to Japan, and the Japanese government recognized Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Korean territories and prohibited Japanese fishermen from fishing near the two islands. This is recorded in history books.
Dokdo consists of Dongdo, Seodo and a consortium of six small islands. Dongdo (98 meters above sea level) has a volcanic vent, while Seokhae (168 meters above sea level) has no vent and is made of volcanic rock. There are brother caves between East Island and West Island, and there are Zenith Cave and Sea Cave on East Island, whose sea terrace and sea cliff topography are very developed.
After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan recognized the importance of Dokdo and unilaterally renamed Dokdo as Takeshima on February 22nd of that year and incorporated it into Shimane Prefecture in Japan. Since then, it has been claiming territorial ownership of Dokdo, and to this day, the Dokdo issue remains a diplomatic issue between Korea and Japan.
There is now a South Korean police force stationed on Dokdo, which has built houses on the rocky outcrops and constructed a simple dock.
Dokdo should be Korea's