Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Winners of Dokdo Essay Contest

The Korea Times and the Northeast Asian History Foundation are pleased to announce the top five winners of the Dokdo Essay Contest For Foreigners.

A few weeks ago, readers were invited to submit 800-word essays on "Why is Dokdo Korean territory?" In all, some 700 compositions were received from more than 27 countries, including Britain, the United States, India, Nigeria, and China. Some 400 foreign nationals living in Korea participated in the contest. Participants included students, teachers, and university professors.

Many of the submissions were first-rate. All submissions were read by the editorial staff and screening committee members.

Needless to say, singling out just five essays for the awards was very difficult, but at the end of the day, The Korea Times chose the following participants as top winners. Congratulations and a special "hank you" to all who participated.

The Grand Prize Winner
Cheryl Devaney in Busan for her essay titled "Defending Dokdo."

The Gold Prize Winner
Kenneth Maingot is Seoul for his essay "Dokdo:Whose Property Is it?"

The Silver Prize Winner
Harry Kim from Washington, D.C., for his essay "Dokdo:Korean Islets."

Bronze Prize Winners
Abu Taher from Busan for his submission titled "Historical Evidence Confirms Dokdo is Korean Territory"
Dina Mahmoud ali mousa from Cairo, Egypt, who wrote "Dokdo Islands Belong to Korea."

The contest was designed to help promote international awareness of Dokdo as Korea's indigenous territory. The event was sponsored by the Northeast Asian History Foundation, a major research and educational organization based in Seoul. The foundation aims to research Northeast Asian history and provide support and cooperation to promote academic exchanges between Asian nations.

Each winner will be indvidually contacted fro the award ceremony which will be held later in Seoul. Round-trip airline tickets to Korea will be offered for overseas winners. The winning essays will be published in the Nov. 1 edition.

[wylies99]

If you click on the Korea Times homepage- http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/index.asp

and then click on the "Dokdo Essay for Foreigners" on the upper right, that is on the pop up.

Oh, and coming in last was wylies99 with his essay titled "You people SERIOUSLY need to get a life."

[CentralCali]

I wonder if the Japanese government's going to have a similar contest (or has already held one). If so, it would be hilarious if the winners of that were the same people who won this one!

[Imrahil]

So where can we read the winning entries? I would love to read that crap and have a laugh. Also Wyliess, if you really did write an essay on this topic, why not post it on here so we can read that too.

[wylies99]

Post it?

[ED209]

[Donald Frost]

[wylies99]

700 Essays From 27 Nations Vie in Contest

By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

A few weeks ago, The Korea Times and the Northeast Asian History Foundation began an essay contest, inviting readers to submit articles on ``Why is Dokdo Korean territory?"

Readers from more than two-dozen countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, India, Nigeria and China, submitted their writings. Overall, more than 700 essays were received.

Many of these submissions were first-rate, and that made it very challenging for the editorial staff and the screening committee to choose just five award winners.

Many readers pointed out in their essays that Korea has an enormous advantage on this issue because the country has actual possession of these islets: ``It has de facto possession of the islands and has undertaken a variety of infrastructure projects and improvements� international judicial bodies highlight establishing sovereignty through positive acts, especially when occupying a territory."

Many of these essays also highlighted historical documents _ and the fact that these ancient papers show Dokdo as Korean territory. They pointed to the 1877 Dajokan order and the 1900 announcement from the King Gojong in the Joseon Kingdom. Many also referred to historical records that say, in 512 A.D., Dokdo was incorporated into the ancient Silla Kingdom. Readers said Japan unjustly took the islets in 1905 and that the Japanese government had wrongly claimed that Dokdo was terra nullius _ territory that did not belong to any state.

Readers wondered why Japanese officials still lay claim to Dokdo despite all the evidence the contrary. They said even in Japan, there are old documents that describe Dokdo as Korean.

``Scholars have cited numerous maps as evidence, including a map produced by the Japanese cartographer Dabuchi Tomohiko. Japan's earliest record of the islets did not emerge until 1667," wrote Cheryl Devaney in her essay, which won the Grand Prize.

Devaney wrote: ``Surprisingly, this Japanese government document, Onshu Shicko Goki, according to the historical scholar, Shin Yong-ha, also describes Dokdo and Ulleungdo as Korean territory and Oki Island as Japan's westernmost territorial boundary."

``Existing Japanese and Korean government documents clearly indicate early Korean sovereignty," wrote Kenneth Maingot who won the Gold Prize. ``I contend that siding with truth does represent the fairest, most sensitive and objective solution. Dokdo is Korean territory," he said.

Silver Prize winner Harry Kim expressed concern over the ``revival of the Japanese imperialism in the recent years."

He said this new wave of imperialistic sentiment is ``sadly deplorable." He wrote Japan's territorial claim reflects a ``colonial legacy" in this 21st century post-colonial world of interconnectivity and globalization. Kim urged Japan to embrace a ``postcolonial sensitivity that is necessary for its superpower image in this world."

Bronze Prize recipient Dina Mahmoud ali mousa said Japan's ``erroneous, persistent claim" on these East Sea territories seems to be ``a distortion of the long-standing truth." She said, ``Korea's territorial rights cannot be shaken by any unfounded foreign claims."

Another Bronze Prize winner Abu Taher said Dokdo is a symbol of Korea's liberation and return to self-rule after World War II. ``It carries great symbolic importance. Historical evidence confirms that, based on the facts, Dokdo is Korean territory."

[email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/116_33687.html

[sojusucks]

The prize was good enough for these people to essentially copy some to most of Korea's rhetoric. I really didn't see anything that hadn't already appeared in the Dokdo/Takeshima debate.