Liancourt Rocks Dispute - Joseon and Edo Period

Joseon and Edo Period

The Taejong-Sillok (태종실록, Annals of King Taejong) recorded that "60 people were living on Yusan-guk-do (유산국 流山國, Yusan-state-island). According to a 1417 government report, there were 86 yusando inhabitants as of 1412. Yusan-guk's diameter was 2shik (24km), and its circumference is eight 8shik (96km)."

The 1417 report is as follows:

An expedition was launched under Inspector Kim Inu, and from Usando, the expedition brought back local products as tribute, including bamboo, seal skins, raw ramie cloth, silk wool, and ginger. Kim brought back three Usando natives. Kim reported that there were fifteen households living on the island, summing to the figure of eighty-six inhabitants. On their way back from the island, Kim Inu's expedition went through two typhoons, barely reaching the mainland alive.

The Korean government claims that Usando was the Liancourt Rocks. Although it is impossible for one to survive at Liancourt Rocks without outside assistance, a distinction to be noted is that Usanguk refers to a state based on Ulleng-do, whereas Usando refers to an island. Japanese scholars argue that Usando refers to either Ulleung-do or Jukdo while Korean scholars argue that it refers to Liancourt Rocks.

The Sejong-Sillok (세종실록, "Chronicle of King Sejong", 1432) mentions Usando, but interpretation of the context is disputed. The text is interpreted as follows: "Usando (우산도 于山島) and Mureungdo (무릉도 武陵島, a former name of Ulleungdo), in the sea due east of Uljin Prefecture, are close enough to each other to be mutually visible in clear weather at the top of the mountain". South Korea insists that this constitutes clear evidence that Usan-do refers to the Liancourt Rocks, the only island that is visible from Ulleungdo only in clear weather. Japan, however, holds that the latter part as "come into view from mainland Korea," believing that it refers instead to Jukdo, located two kilometers east of Ulleungdo. South Korea counters that Jukdo is only 2 kilometers apart from Ulleung-Do and therefore is visible regardless of altitude or weather, as well as that the passage is clearly written in the context of the two islands mutually, rather than in relation to the Korean mainland, as established in "相去不遠," "相" meaning "mutually."

South Korea also refers to Ulleung-Do Sajuk (울릉도 사적). This work was compiled by Korean government officer Jang Han-sang (장한상; 張漢相) in 1696 after the An Yong-bok incident under orders from the Joseon kingdom. In it, he states that, from Ulleung-do, "to the west can be seen the rugged mountains of Daegwallyeong; beholding the sea to the east, I noticed a faint island in the jin (辰) direction (east-south-east), not more than one-third of the size of Ulleung, and not possibly more than 300 li (approximately 100km) away." Furthermore, Jang also states in a later part of the work that "I climbed to the peak of the island in order to see the boundaries of Japan, but no Japanese islands could be seen at all, and I cannot, therefore, fathom the distance to the border." This evidence is used by South Korean experts to demonstrate that contemporary Koreans regarded this island to the south-east as under Korean control.

The Dong'guk yeoji seungnam (동국여지승람, "Augmented Geography Survey of the Eastern Nation (Korea)", 1481) defining Korea's territory, stated that "Usando and Ulleungdo are under the jurisdiction of Uljin-hyeon of Gangwon-do as an administrative unit. However, it also mentions that the tree and the beach could be clearly seen on a fine day. The 1531 revision of this book includes the Paldo Chongdo ("Map of the Eight Provinces"), showing two separate islands of Usan-do and Ulleung-do in the middle of the Sea of Japan. Usando is drawn to the west of Ulleungdo, which is clearly an error since there exists no island that to the west of Ulleungdo.

From the early fifteenth century to the aftermath of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), the Joseon court was unable and unwilling to maintain a civilian population on either Ulleungdo or Usando. According to the Taejong Sillok ("Annals of King Taejong"), the mainland government forcibly evacuated the islands during Taejong's reign, in accordance with the "vacant island policy". Thus, the islets were only occasionally populated by permanent settlers up to the seventeenth century; a permanent population existed only on Ulleungdo. Following the war, the islands were completely vacated.