Some past and recent Koreans have claimed that Tsushima (対馬), a large island in the Korea Strait between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese island of Kyushu, has historically belonged to Korea. The island, which is known as Daemado () in Korean, "S. Korea hits Japan in escalating territorial dispute," USA Today, March 18, 2008; retrieved 2013-4-3. has been controlled by Japan since at least the 8th century and is currently not officially claimed in any way by the governments of either South Korea or North Korea. However, some historic Korean governments have claimed that the island is rightfully theirs, and there have also been multiple unofficial attempts to assert a potential Korean claim in modern times."Ordinance of Day of Daemado in Changwon". Enhanced Local Laws and Regulations Information System (in Korean).

History Though the royal court of Joseon dynasty Korea (1392–1897) recognized that the island was inhabited and controlled by Japanese, it generally maintained that the island had been Korean territory since ancient times, and that despite the lengthy Japanese occupation of the island it fundamentally rightfully belonged to Korea. The Sō samurai household, loyal vassals of each successive Japanese shogunate who acted as governors or lords of Tsushima since the 12th century, were also claimed as vassals by the kings of Joseon and consistently behaved accordingly.Jeong-mi Lee, “Chosŏn Korea as Sojunghwa, the Small Central Civilization,” International Christian University Publications 3-A, Asian Cultural Studies 国際基督教大学学報 3-A,アジア文化研究 36 (2010), 308.; James Lewis, Frontier Contact between Chosŏn Korea and Tokugawa Japan, Routledge Curzon, 2003.

The island was described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu, which was published in 1785. As in many Japanese publications of the time, it was identified as part of Japan.Klaproth, Julius. (1832). San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes, p. 96; excerpt, "... et vis-à-vis de l'île de Toui ma tao (Tsou sima) qui fait partie du Japon ...."

20th century In 1946, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) defined Japan to include the four main islands and approximately 1000 nearby islands, including Tsushima.Schoenbaum, Thomas J. (2007). Peace in Northeast Asia: Resolving Japan's Territorial and Maritime Disputes with China, Korea and the Russian Federation, p. 108.

In 1948, the Republic of Korea (ROK) asserted its sovereignty over the island based on "historical claims". "U.S. State Department, Report from the Office of Intelligence Research: Korea´s Recent Claim to the Island of Tsushima (prepared on March 30, 1950)"; retrieved 2013-4-2. In 1949, the SCAP rejected South Korea's claim.

In 1951, United States-Korea negotiations about the Treaty of San Francisco made no mention of Tsushima Island."Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs in the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Emmons)," Foreign Relations 1951, Vol. VI, pp. 1202-1203; excerpt, "Mr. Dulles noted that paragraph 1 of the Korean Ambassador's communication made no reference to the island of Tsushima and the Korean Ambassador agreed that this had been omitted." After this, the status of Tsushima as an island of Japan was re-confirmed by the US.US Bureau of the Census. (1965). Foreign Commerce and Navigation of the United States, p. lv.

In 1974, Korea and Japan reaffirmed that Tsushima is part of Japan.Charney, Jonathan I. and Lewis M. Alexander. (1998). International Maritime Boundaries, p. 141 n75.

21st century In 2008, a small minority of members of the National Assembly of South Korea proposed claiming Tsushima as part of Korea. Agence France-Presse (AGF). 21 August 2008; retrieved 2012-4-3. There were 50 members in this group.Note: There are 300 members of the Korean National Assembly -- see Kim, Tae-jong. "A Look at Election Through Numbers," Korea Times, 9 April 2008; retrieved 2013-4-2.

In 2010, some members of the National Assembly proposed a study of Korea's territorial claims to Tsushima.대마도는 우리땅" 여야 의원 37인, 국회 정식포럼 창립, Chosun Ilbo (ROK). 28 September 2010; retrieved 2013-4-3. There were 37 members in this group.

In 2013, a South Korean court decided the preliminary injunction that provisionally prevented a Buddhist statue stolen from a temple in Tsushima to South Korea from returning to the temple. A document found in the Buddhist statue showed that the statue was made in a Korean temple Buseoksa in 1330. Based on this record, some Koreans assume that the statue was moved illegally from Korea to Japan by Wokou in the late 14th century. Additionally, Buseoksa declared its ownership over the statue.An illegally returned Buddhist statue (절도범이 반입한 불상) , "Hankuk Ilbo" (ROK). 9 October 2013; retrieved 2013 11-03. This news provoked another wave of anger amongst the islanders and throughout much of Japan, as it was assumed that this could be a sign of Korean territorial ambitions.

Timeline 1946: SCAP lists Tsushima as part of Japan 1950: Korea claims the island 1951: South Korea sets aside claim to Tsushima 1974: South Korea-Japan treaty reconfirms Tsushima is Japanese island 2005: South Korean city Changwon City claims the island as South Korean territory. "S Korea not calmed by Japan's statement in territorial dispute," Taipei Times. 19 March 2005; retrieved 2013-4-2. 2008: 50 members of ROK National Assembly propose re-claiming Tsushima 2010: 37 members of ROK National assembly propose study about re-claiming the island

United States' position A 1950 United States' report titled Korea's Recent Claim to the Island of Tsushima analyzed the Korean claim and says:

References

External links

The Territorial Dispute Over Dokdo