Chinese 15th Century Map Shows Daemado Belonged to Joseon

An old Chinese map has been discovered indicating not only Dokdo but also Daemado (Tsushima Island) was the territory of Joseon.

On March 16, a professor of the Pusan University of Foreign Studies, Kim Moon-gil, revealed the “Joseonpaldochongdo” on the fourth and fifth pages of the “Joseonbu,” a personal journal made by an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, Dongwol, in 1488, who surveyed Joseon at the command of the Emperor (Emperor Yeongjong).

The map specifies in detail Tsushima Island, along with Dokdo (Usando at the time) and Ulleungdo, as part of Joseon’s territory.

The “Joseonbu” that Professor Kim found in archives of a Japanese University turned out to be a copybook that Japan made by adding Japanese sounds to the Chinese characters in 1717.

Kim stated that he didn’t know why Japan claimed ownership of Dokdo even after an ancient document was discovered demonstrating Dokdo and even Tsushima Island were both Korean territory.

Yong-Hwi Jo silent@donga.com