SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Sungshin Women’s University professor Seo Kyung-duk, renowned for exposing the distorted history surrounding the Korean Peninsula, has joined forces with Na Young-seok, one of South Korea’s most celebrated producers, to shed light on the poignant tale of the vanished Dokdo sea lions from the Korean Peninsula.
Commemorating Dokdo Day on October 25, Seo and Na announced the creation of a multilingual video designed to promote the history of the Dokdo sea lion on a global scale.
On the same day, Seo released a four-minute video, available in both Korean (Watch it here: https://youtu.be/hCBjiHb3knw) and English (Watch it here: https://youtu.be/XFB-XNE6WM0), with the intention of educating the world about the historical significance of the Dokdo sea lion. This marine species faced relentless overfishing and eventual extinction due to Japan’s ambitions to take control of Dokdo.
These sea lions, which once thrived in groups numbering up to tens of thousands on Dokdo, fell victim to Japan’s territorial aspirations in 1905 when Japan annexed the island.
A dedicated company was established for the sole purpose of capturing sea lions, subjecting them to brutal treatment. Once captured, the sea lions were exploited for their oil as a fuel source, their meat for fertilizer, and their young for circuses.
Sea lion hides, known for their durability and strength compared to cowhide, were used to create luxury and military bags. Tragically, the sea lions, which had once covered Dokdo Island, were pushed to extinction in the 1930s due to unbridled overfishing.
The method employed to capture Dokdo sea lions was profoundly inhumane. Pups were initially seized to lure the mothers away, and once the mothers were apprehended, adult males would also fall into the trap, wiping out entire sea lion families.
Seo and Na announced the creation of a multilingual video designed to promote the history of the Dokdo sea lion on a global scale. (Photo: a screenshot of Prof. Seo Kyung-duk’s social account)
The video not only narrates the heart-wrenching story of the Dokdo sea lion, which was ruthlessly fished to extinction due to Japan’s territorial ambitions but also exposes Japan’s atrocities in exploiting the sea lion as a symbol of exploitation to support its territorial claims.
The video also highlights South Korea’s efforts, including the production of an animated video, to disseminate the truth about these sea lions.
“Our objective was to confront Japan’s persistent distortion of history, both domestically and internationally, by presenting an accurate account of the sea lion’s role as a symbol of Dokdo. We are sharing this video through various social media platforms such as YouTube, and we have also circulated it among major Korean American and international student communities across the globe,” Seo noted.
On his Instagram account, Seo further articulated his motivation, saying, “Through this video, I aimed to accurately convey the history of the sea lion, a symbol of Dokdo, and to condemn Japan’s ongoing distortion of history, both at home and abroad.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
