▲ A section of the investigation report by the Far East Air Forces (FEAF)
"Despite the fact that it was clearly established in September 1947 that the Liancourt Rocks were part of Korea..."
This is an excerpt from the Report of Bombing of Liancourt Rocks, a document classified as confidential and written by the U.S. Far East Air Forces (FEAF) on June 24, 1948.
At the time, the U.S. military explicitly stated this regarding Dokdo.
"Liancourt" is the name of a French whaling ship that discovered Dokdo in 1849, and "Liancourt Rocks" refers to Dokdo.
The report addressed the incident on June 8 of that year, when 14 fishermen were killed and several others injured during a U.S. Air Force bombing practice, effectively recognizing Dokdo as "part of Korea."
The accompanying file also included official documents from the Magistrate of Ulleungdo (the current County Governor of Ulleung-gun) explaining sovereignty over Dokdo, as well as statements from residents.
This marks the first time a classified document has been confirmed showing that the U.S. recognized Dokdo as Korean territory at the time of the 1948 Dokdo bombing incident.
The Northeast Asian History Foundation announced today, July 7, that it has newly unearthed previously undisclosed records regarding Dokdo kept by the U.S. government, including the FEAF investigation report.
The materials consist of a 222-page document collected by Jeon Gap-saeng, a research professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at Sungkonghoe University, who identified them at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and recently donated them to the Foundation.
The most notable material is the official FEAF report.
The report also states that to use "each bombing practice range" for training at the time, notification had to be given to the Commanding General of the United States Army Forces in Korea (USAFIK) 15 days in advance.
The Foundation stated that this can be interpreted as specifying an obligation for prior notification to the competent Korean authorities, as they viewed Dokdo as "Korean territory."
The Foundation emphasized, "The records confirmed this time are evaluated as important historical materials showing that the U.S. military authorities at the time clearly recognized Dokdo as Korean territory."
Materials helpful for research on Ulleungdo and Dokdo were also newly identified.
In the case of the 1946 document titled "Regarding the Confirmation of Sovereignty over Dokdo as Part of Ulleungdo," reported by the Magistrate of Ulleungdo to the Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, a transcript of the report written by Magistrate Sim Heung-taek of Uldo-gun was also included.
It is a well-known fact that when Japan illegally incorporated Dokdo into its territory in 1905, then-Magistrate Sim Heung-taek reported this to Lee Myeong-rae, the acting Governor of Gangwon-do.
While the content of the report was known, this is the first time it has been discovered as a separate sheet of document.
Also noteworthy is a document from the time of the Dokdo bombing incident, signed by the Magistrate of Ulleungdo and the Chief of the Industrial Division, which states that "no prior notice was received regarding the military action."
Given that there are not many primary sources directly proving Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo during the 1945–1948 period, these materials are expected to be of great help to future research.
An official from the Foundation said, "The historical basis for confirming the U.S. authorities' perception of Dokdo and Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo immediately after liberation will be further strengthened."
(Photo: Provided by Northeast Asian History Foundation, Yonhap News)
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