By That is what the Dallas Blog thinks:
The South Korean Tourism Ministry has failed to fulfill its mission of attracting tourists from all over the world, particularly those who hail from Japan. Yu-jin Lee, who works from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Korean culture and Information Service, has launched an anti-Japanese letter-writing campaign addressed to media outlets all over the world, which includes the Dallas Blog.
Ms. Lee, in her official letter endorsed by South Korea’s tourism ministry, denounces Japan and she’s quoted as saying that, “when it colonized Korea for 35 years.” She’s demanding international journalists identify the Sea of Japan as the East Sea in news reports. She states, “Since South Korea got its sovereignty back, it has continuously taken countermeasures for the name, East Sea.”
Apparently, she cites from the ‘United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names,’ to support her argument, which may infer that Seoul successfully promoted South Korean-born Ban Ki-moon as the United Nations’ Secretary-General to garner international support for naming the Sea of Japan, the East Sea.
Certainly, her letter is more suited for South Korea’s foreign ministry in regards to this diplomatic matter. Yet, it’s not appropriate for the tourism ministry, since it may likely instigate a backlash of anti-Korean sentiments in Japan, which could spark renewed nationalism and boycotts by Japanese tourists. [Dallas Blog via Japan Probe]
Read the rest at the link, but Ms. Yujin Lee from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has actually commented here at the ROK Drop recently in regards to the East Sea – Sea of Japan issue. I don’t think bringing up the whole East Sea / Sea of Japan issue has much to do with promoting Korean tourism though. I would recommend that Ms. Lee do more to promote the many reasons to visit Korea instead of bringing up an ultra-nationalist debate between Japan & Korea that no one outside of these two countries really care about.
Anyway I like my idea of naming it “The Sea That Cannot Be Named” or better yet the “Nameless Sea”. Anyone else have some good proposed names for this controversial body of water?
8:13 pm on October 24th, 2010 1
The "Straits of Moose Jaw"
8:57 pm on October 24th, 2010 2
I don't care about the name except for the fact that it's stupid to try to name it the East Sea when the only countries it's east of are Korea, kind of China, and kind of Russia. There's got to be a neutral name.
I know, why not "Sea of Dokdo". For God's sake. I sympathize with Korea, and I think they're right about Dokdo and the atrocities committed by Japanese, but their behavior is not that of a mature, industrialized country. When someone abuses you, there should be consequences for that behavior. Trying to find inner peace or justice, though, by vilifying the abuser or demanding that they apologize/make it up to you is just a recipe for disaster. Japan is never going to sincerely make amends for its behavior. The farther we get from the events, the less likely it is to happen. And I think, at this point, even if they did, the Koreans wouldn't accept it. It feels too good to have someone to blame for ALL of your problems.
So how about instead of freaking out over the name of the sea, we worry about things that REALLY affect Korea on an international stage, like say women's or migrants' rights? Sheesh.
10:04 pm on October 24th, 2010 3
The South Korean Tourism Ministry has failed to fulfill its mission of attracting tourists from all over the world, particularly those who hail from Japan
LOL at your anti-Korean site source GI. It's a site ran by a former ESL teacher in Korea. Do I have to say any more?
As for the Japanese tourists, last and this year has been record number of visitors from Japan. Just go to Myung Dong street in Seoul, and see how every third person you meet are either Japanese or Chinese. Where does this guy get his numbers from? Does he pull them out of his a$$?
10:42 pm on October 24th, 2010 4
Sea of Xenophobia
11:18 pm on October 24th, 2010 5
You live overseas in a western country attending university, but you say you can go to myungdong-ro any day and see lots of japanese… you must be able to appear wherever you want. hail to Tom!
12:09 am on October 25th, 2010 6
I'm parial to "Monsters be here!", and then a drawn in giant tentacle gripping the name. Now that would bring in the tourists.
#5, Tommy Tang has the benefit of no integrity, as a habitual liar he is everywhere, has met or experienced every type of bad conduct by white guys etc etc etc…a true loser.
12:46 am on October 25th, 2010 7
How about Sea of Cheonan?
12:51 am on October 25th, 2010 8
#7, wrong side and tasteless.
1:34 am on October 25th, 2010 9
The West Sea.
2:38 am on October 25th, 2010 10
"無名海" works for me.
2:41 am on October 25th, 2010 11
#9 Nah, just like mad cow I could see that one get caught up in a conspiracy theory….Americans force the name "West Sea code for Western Sea…ie WHITE AMERICAN SEA…kill them all…."
2:49 am on October 25th, 2010 12
Thomas Lee=esl teacher pfft
3:18 am on October 25th, 2010 13
Orbit,
You've no clue about me. You're not even close and I'm pretty sure you're just Tom using a different ID.
3:32 am on October 25th, 2010 14
Pueblo Sea?
4:43 am on October 25th, 2010 15
#4 Parsnickity – "Sea of Xenophobia"
The best and most accurate to date! Or "The Xenophobic Sea"
Sea of Anger
Whining Sea
Sea of Inferiority Complexes
Sea of No Ass
The IQ Sea
The sea of We
Last, but not least – The Tommy Two Face Sea
5:47 am on October 25th, 2010 16
Sea of Pure Blood
7:22 am on October 25th, 2010 17
"You live overseas in a western country attending university, but you say you can go to myungdong-ro any day and see lots of japanese… you must be able to appear wherever you want. hail to Tom!"
I go home to Korea at least once every year, sometimes twice. What's your problem Thomas Lee?
9:43 am on October 25th, 2010 18
damn why dont they get over this shit
11:58 am on October 25th, 2010 19
I will follow Roh Moo-Hyun's suggestion: The Sea of Peace.
Yes, Roh told the Japanese Prime Minister to name the sea as "The Sea of Peace" to move forward from the naming issue once and for all. Surprising, right?
By the way GI, I must say that Dallas Blog is a blatantly ill-informed and biased anti-Korean site, run by a former NSET with a stick up his ass. The topic itself is a fair one, but I would advise to care less about whatever he thinks.
12:37 pm on October 25th, 2010 20
Instead of Koreans calling it the East Sea they should call it "The Sea of Crybaby Koreans". Get over it, Koreans! You look like a bunch of whiny wimps.
4:05 pm on October 25th, 2010 21
Maybe they could call it "The Northeast Asian Sea" although I like Zilchy's "The Whining Sea" better. This whole situation is as stupid as the argument between the Arab countries & Iran as to what the body of water between Saudi Arabia & Iran should be called either the Persian Gulf(the commonly recognized name) or the Arabian Gulf. I think we should call that body of water either the Gulf of Oil Dependency or the Gulf of Stupidity. Why not call that body of water "The Southwest Asian Gulf".
2:08 pm on November 17th, 2010 22
The Former Sea Known as the Sea of Japan