(March 28th 1906)
As for the acquisition of Takeshima/Tokdo which some Japanese thought might belong to Korea, the Japanese government did not make inquiry of the Korean government, much less notify it of the action of incorporation afterwards. Korea learned of the Japan's incorporation in March 1906, one year after the measure was taken. A Shimane prefecture delegation led by an administrative official, Zinzai Yutaro, dropped by Ullungdo after making an inspection tour of Takeshima/Tokdo.
The group included official Zinzai, of Oki Island in Shimane prefecture, Director Yoshida Meigo of the Tax Supervision Bureau, police sub-station chief, Inspector Kageyama Iwahachiro, one policeman, one local assemblyman, a doctor and a technician and about a dozen 'followers, They have come for the purpose of finding out firstly, the number of households, population, and land production, and secondly, the number of personnel and expenditure. The record having being made, we submit this report for your reference.
Lunar March 5, 10th year of Kwangmu (1906)...."
"Order No.3 by the Daehan Empires Governor I have read this report. Their word that Dokdo has become Japanese territory is a totally unfounded allegation, recheck the island and action of Japanese people...."
The visit to Ullungdo by the Zinzai party was well known, but this data has not been examined in Japan at all. In the dispute with Korea, the Japanese government even doubted the existence of this document itself. As its basis, a Japanese scholar writes that one sea lion caught on Takeshima was presented to the County Chief, who thanked them for the gift. Such a treatment would not have happened if the County Chief had considered Takeshima as I belonging to Ullungdo.
But, that is to ignore the difficult situation Ullungdo was faced with at that time. At this time, Japanese soldiers and police were permanently stationed on Ullungdo and more than 300 Japanese lived in and around Todong where the county office was located. (see pic) The fact that Zinzai and his party investigated at will the number of households, population and geographical features in the foreign territory of Ullungdo graphically illustrates the one-sided power relations of that time. If County Chief Sim did not openly raise objection to Zinzai and his party on the territorial problem, it was due to the pressure from the Japanese. His courteous treatment of the Japanese did not mean that he approved Zinzai remarks. This also does not justify the Japanese denial of this data itself.
May 1st 1906 "Uldo governor Shim Heung Taek reported to the Domestic Affairs Office that some Japanese officials came to Ulluengdo Island and claimed Dokdo as Japanese territory, surveyed the island and then counted the number of households. In response to (Shim Hueng Taek's) the report, the Domestic Affairs office stated "It is not unusual for those Japanese Officials to inspect Ulleungdo Island while they were traveling in the area. However their claiming Dokdo as Japanese territory does not make sense at all. We find the Japanese claim shocking...."
It is certain that many Korean people learned through this newspaper coverage of the Japanese move to incorporate Takeshima/Tokdo into its territory and must have read it as an aggression into Korean territory. For example, Hwang Hyon who lived in Kurye, Chollado, at that time writes in a note that "the Japanese are making a false statement that Tokdo belongs to Japan while it is our own territory...."
In other words, Korea' s central government, local Ullungdo County Chief and civilians all considered Japanese incorporation of Takeshima/Tokdo as aggression at that time. But, by that time, Japan had virtually started colonial rule over Korea, by establishing the Residency-General in Korea. Evidence of Japan's appropriation of Korean land prior to the annexation of Dokdo can be seen on these links (link 1), (link 2), (link 3).
The documented Japanese Surveys of Dokdo undertaken by the Japanese Imperial Navy can be seen on these pages (link1), (link 2), (link3). That is why no further development could be made within the Korean government to cope with the problem of Takeshima - Dokdo.
As the entire country was being robbed of its sovereignty and vanishing, the problem of the ownership of a small rocky island was hurled away. However, that the Korean people clearly raised objection to the Japanese action of incorporating Takeshima/Tokdo is a decisively important fact worthy of historical evaluation.
