Amid growing controversy as the Japanese government recently reiterated its claims to sovereignty over Dokdo through its "2026 Defense White Paper," it has been found that the U.S. State Department is still omitting Dokdo from its map of South Korean territory.

Cyber diplomatic delegation VANK (Director Park Ki-tae) announced today (August 5) that it is launching a global correction campaign to actively counter Japan's claims and demand that the U.S. State Department correctly mark Dokdo as South Korean territory on the map provided within its country-specific travel information website.

VANK pointed out, "Japan has been continuing its provocations over Dokdo sovereignty through its defense white papers for 22 consecutive years since 2005," adding, "While the Japanese government intensifies its promotion regarding Dokdo, errors on the U.S. State Department website, which holds high global diplomatic influence, could spread distorted perceptions."

According to VANK, the map posted on the South Korea introduction page of the U.S. State Department's international travel information website (travel.state.gov) highlights the portion of South Korean territory in fluorescent color when the mouse cursor hovers over it.

However, unlike Jeju Island and Ulleungdo, Dokdo is excluded from the fluorescent area representing South Korean territory.

Even when zooming in by clicking on Ulleungdo, only Ulleungdo is designated as South Korean territory, and Dokdo remains unchanged.

VANK explained, "This phenomenon is identically confirmed on the U.S. State Department's Japan travel information page as well," adding, "When displaying adjacent South Korean territorial areas on the map, Jeju Island and Ulleungdo are highlighted, but Dokdo is omitted from the range of South Korean territory."

It also expressed concern, saying, "If Dokdo is excluded from the U.S. State Department website, which is referenced by many travelers, government officials, and media outlets, there is a high risk of instilling the misconception that Dokdo is 'no-man's land' or a 'disputed territory,'" and "The Japanese government could exploit this as grounds for its sovereignty claims over Dokdo."

VANK, which previously corrected the omission of Dokdo in World Health Organization (WHO) maps, is delivering a protest letter to the U.S. State Department and launching an online global correction campaign.

Director Park Ki-tae emphasized, "What has been taken can be reclaimed, but what is given up by oneself is hard to take back," adding, "We must correct the omission of Dokdo by authoritative institutions."

Furthermore, rather than stopping at demands for correction, VANK plans to officially propose to the South Korean government a "proactive national policy for responding to Dokdo distortions" to preemptively investigate and rectify distorted information regarding Dokdo across global institutions, portals, and textbooks.

(Photo provided by VANK, Yonhap News)