Seok Kyung-deok "Before Tokyo Olympics, from 'Underground to City Center'... Japan Meticulously Prepared Dokdo Dispute" [Interview]

"Pressure IOC to Remove Dokdo from Tokyo Olympic Map"
"Must Not Get Caught in Japan's Intent to Label Our Land Dokdo as a 'Disputed Area'"
"Before Boycotting Tokyo Olympics, Priority Is to Delete Dokdo from Olympic Map"

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, who is actively promoting the history and culture of the Republic of Korea worldwide, spoke with Asia Economy about issues including the notation of Dokdo at the Tokyo Olympics in Japan. Photo by Sumi Hwang, intern reporter choko216@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] "It means that Japan was meticulously preparing to turn Dokdo into a disputed territory."

The Tokyo Olympics in Japan is about a month away. On the official Tokyo Olympics website map, Dokdo is still marked with a faint dot. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shown a stance that essentially supports Japan, stating that Japan's 'Dokdo notation' is not problematic.

Regarding this, Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University said, "This is nonsense," and emphasized, "We must continue to pressure the IOC to remove Dokdo from the Tokyo Olympics map."

For over 25 years, Professor Seo has been active worldwide to promote Korea's history and culture. Recently, he was the first to discover and publicize that the Japanese government posted a map on the Tokyo Olympics website depicting Dokdo as Japanese territory.

He also revealed that the torch relay video included scenes passing through Oki (隱岐) Island and the Shimane (島根) Prefectural Office's 'Takeshima Reference Room.' These locations are known as representative bases for Japan's claim that Dokdo is its territory. Professor Seo analyzed that such actions by Japan are intended to make Dokdo a disputed area.

In a recent interview with Asia Economy, Professor Seo said, "Japan had already been meticulously planning to turn Dokdo into a dispute as of January last year." January last year refers to the period before the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to COVID-19.

Professor Seo cited the fact that, ahead of the Olympics, the 'Japanese Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall' was relocated from underground to the heart of the city. The Japanese Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall is a place exhibiting materials claiming Dokdo as Japanese territory, opened by the Japanese government on January 25, 2018, at the Tokyo Hibiya Park Municipal Hall.

Broadcaster Kim Gura and Professor Seo Kyung-duk from Sungshin Women's University appeared on JTBC's 'Maknagasho' in March last year and visited the new 'Japanese Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall,' which was expanded and relocated from the previous exhibition hall.
[Photo by JTBC 'Maknagasho' capture]

◆ "Japanese Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall moved to a more accessible location... A calculated move to inform the world that Dokdo is Japanese territory"

The exhibition hall, previously located on the basement first floor, moved last January and expanded in size. This was due to poor accessibility and limited exhibition space underground. Professor Seo explained, "Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, the new exhibition hall was relocated to a place with much better accessibility compared to the previous one."

In fact, the new exhibition hall is located within a one-minute walk from Toranomon Station on the Ginza Line subway, and is known to be surrounded by major facilities such as the Prime Minister's Official Residence, the National Diet Building, and the U.S. Embassy in Japan. Additionally, the exhibition space increased sevenfold.

Professor Seo analyzed, "Japan anticipated many foreigners visiting the Olympics and aimed to relocate the new exhibition hall to the city center."

He stated, "They improved accessibility so that foreigners could naturally visit while passing by," and "This is a calculated move to inform the world through the Olympics that Dokdo is Japanese territory." He also added that this indicates Japan was meticulously preparing to turn Dokdo into a disputed territory.

Professor Seo criticized the IOC's attitude of taking no action against Japan's Dokdo notation. After confirming that Dokdo was marked on the Tokyo Olympics map, he immediately sent a protest email to the IOC. However, a week later, the IOC gave a baffling response.

The IOC replied to Professor Seo, "Ask the Japanese Olympic Organizing Committee." In response, Professor Seo pointed out, "The IOC seems to be stepping back compared to the PyeongChang Olympics."

In 2018, regarding Dokdo being marked on the Korean Peninsula flag at the PyeongChang Olympics, the IOC accepted Japan's protest and recommended the Korean government remove it. The IOC cited 'political intent' as the reason for the removal recommendation, and Korea complied by deleting Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag. The Olympic Charter prohibits any propaganda related to political, religious, or racial discrimination in any Olympic venue.

However, the IOC has shown no reaction to the Dokdo notation at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. On the 11th, it stated, "(The Tokyo Olympics) website's Dokdo notation is a geopolitical indication, not political propaganda." This means that the Dokdo notation is not political propaganda but a geopolitical indication, thus not violating the Olympic Charter.

Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University is explaining the issue of Dokdo notation in the Tokyo Olympics in Japan. Photo by Sumi Hwang, intern reporter choko216@asiae.co.kr

Professor Seo criticized the IOC's treatment as unfair. He said, "The IOC intervened to remove Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag at the last PyeongChang Olympics but is now ignoring it," calling it "a double standard." He added, "The IOC's behavior is clearly wrong," and "It is necessary to continue publicizing this worldwide."

Professor Seo, who informs that Dokdo is clearly Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law, and is currently under effective control, emphasized, "We must not be caught up in Japan's intention to make our land Dokdo a disputed area."

Professor Seo said, "Japan intends to claim later that 'Dokdo was removed during the PyeongChang Olympics but was marked in the Tokyo Olympics because it is our territory,'" and "They are acting this way to create such a justification."

He further emphasized, "Therefore, rather than discussing a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics first, removing Dokdo from the Tokyo Olympics map should be the priority." He also asked the public to "continue to pay steady attention to Dokdo in the future."