Of the 35 OECD-member nations, 14 nations had textbooks that solely indicated the area’s body of water as Sea of Japan, but only two countries denoted it as the East Sea. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – According to data submitted by the Academy of Korean Studies to Rep. Shim Jae-kwon of the Democratic Party of Korea, who also sits on the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, there are still many OECD-member states that denote Korea’s East Sea only as the Sea of Japan on maps featured in school textbooks.
Of the 35 OECD-member nations (before Lithuania joined in July of this year), 14 nations had textbooks that solely indicated the area’s body of water as Sea of Japan, but only two countries denoted it as the East Sea.
Countries like Japan, the U.K., Italy, Sweden and Greece were instances of the former, while only Korea and Turkey were examples of the latter.
Fifteen countries including Australia, Canada, France and Germany had both East Sea and Sea of Japan denoted in textbooks, while four countries including Switzerland and Poland did not even name the body of water.
In regards to nations belonging to the G20, five countries listed only the Sea of Japan, while only Korean, Turkish and Indonesian textbooks labeled the body of water only as the East Sea. Nine nations belonging to the G20 had both indications.
Shim also explained that many top U.S. agencies including the CIA, CRS and the Library of Congress had the sole indication of Sea of Japan, following the guidelines set by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Shim concluded that policies of OECD and G20 member states could have a significant impact on other nations, and thus, action is required. “Relevant government agencies (in the South Korean government) should try to rectify the situation,” said Shim.
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
