Trump says ‘Sea of Japan,’ not East Sea

U.S. President Donald Trump called East Sea “Sea of Japan” on Tuesday during his meeting with the U.S. troops after inspecting the U.S. amphibious assault warship Wasp (LHD-1) docked at the neighboring U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

“You proudly patrol the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the South China Sea... You defend your homeland and our allies against missile attack," said President Trump according to The Associated Press.

The maps and official documents of the U.S. government state East Sea as “Sea of Japan.” There were several petitions by overseas Koreans for the correction of the name. The U.S. government rejected petitions saying, “The U.S. Federal Government follows guidelines provided by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Japan of Sea is the official name determined by the board and only one name is allowed for each oceanic waters by principle,” and recommended South Korea and Japan to find a resolution.

“Regarding the naming of the East Sea, our consistent position is clear… At present, our position is that the East Sea must be jointly used,” said a spokesman of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We will reiterate our stance on the legitimacy of the use of East Sea to the U.S. government officials and continue our efforts to convince them.”


Gi-Jae Han record@donga.com