Dokdo

Dokdo (독도/獨島), also known as Liancourt Rocks or Takeshima (たけしま/竹島) in Japanese, is a group of small islets in the East Sea. Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Korea and Japan.

Dokdo consists of two main islets and 35 smaller rocks; the total surface area of the islets is 0.18745 square kilometres (46.32 acres), with the highest elevation of 169 metres (554 ft) found at an unnamed location on the west islet.

Dokdo lies in rich fishing grounds which may contain large deposits of natural gas.

Key words
Dokdo, Liancourt Rocks, International Court of Justice (ICJ)

History
Since the Fist Korean President Syngman Rhee deployed the South Korean Coast Guard to the islets in January 1952, South Korea has occupied the area without any legal consent from either the Japanese government or the United Nations.

In 1991, the South Korean government sent two South Korean citizens to the Liancourt Rocks, an octopus fisherman and his wife, to be permanent residents on the islets. A small South Korean national police detachment, administrative personnel, and lighthouse staff are assigned to the islets.

Disputes over the Islets
Korea and Japan both claim ownership of the island, based in large part on differing interpretations of historical documents. The dispute has regularly caused diplomatic frictions between the two countries.

All of a sudden, on August 10, 2012, President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo Islets, which made him the first South Korean president to do so. Japan temporarily withdrew its ambassador to Korea, and Minister for Foreign Affairs summoned the Korean ambassador to Japan to file a complaint and threatened to lodge a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Korea considers the islands to be indisputably Korean territory and thus has declined resolution at the ICJ. It was the first time for Japan to make such a move in 47 years, since Japan and South Korea officially re-established relations in 1965. Japan proposed bringing the issue to the ICJ in 1954, 1964 and in 2012.

In 2013, Tokyo repeatedly renewed its claim over Dokdo islets and Seoul stronly protested it. A 2013 diplomatic document endorsed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a cabinet meeting on April 5, 2013 stated that “the Japanese government’s stance has been consistent regarding Takeshima that it is clearly Japan’s own territory both in the light of historical facts and according to the international law. Tokyo proposed to Seoul on Aug. 21 to take the issue to the International Court of Justice “for a peaceful solution to the dispute” but the Korean government declined.” Takeshima is what Japan calls Dokdo.