US Navy-Affiliated Institute Map Marks Dokdo as South Korean Territory

[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that a prominent U.S. Navy-related organization marked Dokdo in Hangeul as "Dokdo" on an East Asian map and clearly designated South Korea's territorial waters. U.S. Forces Korea has also been referring to the East Sea as the East Sea rather than the Sea of Japan since last year, suggesting that the U.S. military's awareness regarding Dokdo and the East Sea is firmly taking root.

Defense Specialist Reporter Kim Taehun has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

This is the "Western Pacific Naval Update," posted weekly on the website since last May by "USNI News," the media outlet published by the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), a research organization associated with the U.S. Navy.

The map displays the movements of naval forces in East Asia, and Dokdo is marked in Hangeul as "Dokdo-ri," South Korea's administrative district name.

Zooming in further on the map reveals detailed Hangeul notations for the Dokdo Guard station, the lighthouse, Anyongbok-gil on Seodo, Isabu-gil on Dongdo, residents' quarters, and even smaller islets.

The 12-nautical-mile territorial waters drawn in a circle around Dokdo are marked as "Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea."

While Chinese place names are written in Chinese characters and Japanese place names in kana, marking Dokdo and its territorial waters in Hangeul is interpreted to mean that "Dokdo is South Korean territory, and the waters within 12 nautical miles around Dokdo are South Korean territorial waters."

USNI is a non-profit independent research organization founded in 1873 in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the U.S. Naval Academy, by U.S. Navy officers.

Its board of directors is composed of retired four-star generals from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

[Hwang Ki-chul / Former Chief of Naval Operations : Although it is not the official position of the U.S. government, USNI, an influential maritime security expert organization in the United States, reflects the reality that (Dokdo) is under the administrative management and effective jurisdiction of the Republic of Korea...]

The perception that the East Sea should be named the "East Sea" rather than the Sea of Japan has also taken root within the U.S. military.

Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Paul LaCamera (※원문 황기철 외 주한미군사령관 브런슨 언급) has consistently referred to it as the "East Sea" whenever speaking publicly, and U.S. Marine Forces Korea marked it as the "East Sea" on a map in a training video.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Cho Moo-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.