"There is Dokdo in the Han River too"... Dokdo at the Han River Estuary Found in Old Documents

Uninhabited Island in the Lower Han River... Shares Same Chinese Characters as Dokdo in the East Sea
Gimpo City "In the Process of Officially Designating the Name"

It has been confirmed that the unique name of an uninhabited island in the Han River estuary is the same in Chinese characters as Dokdo (獨島) in the East Sea, which is a natural monument. Accordingly, the local government has begun the official naming procedure.

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province recently held a naming committee meeting and announced on the 25th that the name of the uninhabited island in the Han River estuary in Geolpo-dong has been designated as Dokdo.

Dokdo at the Han River estuary in Geolpo-dong, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do
[Image source: Provided by Gimpo-si]

This island, located under the Ilsan Bridge, once had a ferry connecting Gamampo in Gimpo and Isanpo in Goyang, as well as 40 farming households, but after the great flood of Eulchuk year (1925), the villagers left for the mainland and no one has lived there since. At that time, the island's size was reduced as Dokdo was used as a quarry to repair the washed-away land embankment.

Gimpo City discovered that the island was named Dokdo last year during the process of promoting the Han River downstream revitalization project. While verifying historical maps such as Haedongjido, Yeojido, Joseon Jido, Jiseung, Gwangyeodo, and maps equivalent to the Gimpo County Gazette from the late Joseon Dynasty to determine the island's name, it was found that the island was recorded as Dokdo.

Additionally, based on these old documents and military-related facility signboards indicating the island as part of 'Geolpo-dong, Gimpo City,' it was confirmed that the island falls under Gimpo City's jurisdiction. Although the island appears to be divided into two parts, it is labeled as Hyeongje Island on satellite maps.

Kwon Tae-il, Secretary General of the Gimpo Cultural Center, said, "It can be inferred that the island was called Dokdo because it is an island standing alone in the lower Han River, but it is difficult to conclude definitively," adding, "Further research on related documents is needed."

Dokdo marked on the portal site Naver Map
[Image source = Naver Map capture]

Gimpo City requested portal sites such as Naver, Daum, and Google to register the island, labeled as Hyeongje Island, under the name Dokdo, and the change has been reflected. Going forward, the island's official administrative name will be designated as Dokdo through the Gyeonggi Province Naming Committee and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's naming announcement process, and cultural tourism content linked to the East Sea Dokdo is also being prepared.

A Gimpo City official stated, "We hope this discovery will serve as a stepping stone to re-examine the history and culture of the Han River estuary."