I was always curious about why the body of water between Korea and Japan was labeled “Sea of Japan” in some textbooks, but “East Sea” in others. I also noticed that a small group of islets in it were called either “Dokdo” or “Takeshima.” Baffled, I asked my history teacher why the sea and the islets had two different names. She told me that the sovereignty over the islets was being disputed over by Korea and Japan along with the sea’s name. I was still confused. Isn’t it clear who owns which island or islet and what a sea’s name is? Apparently, that wasn’t so.

While conducting some research, I stumbled upon this writing competition. Intrigued, I decided to participate. After perusing article after article and website after website, it became clear that the sea should be called “East Sea” and that “Dokdo” was the proper name for the islets as South Korea undoubtedly had sovereignty over them. I also learned that Japan continuously claimed jurisdiction over Dokdo because of the millions of tons of methane hydrate beneath it, the fishing rights that Dokdo would provide, and Japan’s imperialistic incentives. However, to Koreans, Dokdo symbolizes national pride, unity, and identity. During the process of writing my essay, I felt that it was important to use our voices. Writing this essay was my way of using my voice.