TOKYO - Plans by Korea Post, a body under the government¡¯s Ministry of Information and Communication, to produce stamps with pictures of the disputed island of Dokdo appear to be becoming drawn into the controversy between Korea and Japan over the sovereignty of the island. Korea Post is planning to produce four kinds of W190 stamps (560,000 of each kind) that focus on Dokdo¡¯s natural surroundings; it is the first time since 1954 that a stamp featuring the island has been printed.
On Wednesday, however, the Internet edition of Japan¡¯s Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Japanese National Administrative Office requested last September that Korea Post discontinue plans to produce the Dokdo stamps.
Japan said that the printing of Dokdo stamps violates the spirit of international cooperation in the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Using the name of the head of Japan¡¯s postal service, a letter was sent to Korea Post saying that the service hoped Korea would make a wise decision in accordance with the UPU charter. Korea Post did not answer, however, and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the National Administrative Office is discussing response plans with the Foreign Ministry.
The Yomiuri reported that in 1952, then-Korean President Syngman Rhee unilaterally declared sovereignty over "Takeshima Island," and that since then Korea has maintained de-facto control over the uninhabited rocks, including permanently stationing guards there. It also reported that the Koreans printed a Dokdo stamp in 1954.
According to the Korean Ministry of Information and Communication¡¯s records, Korea did produce a Dokdo ornamental stamp in 1954 to reaffirm that the island was Korean territory. On Nov. 19 of that year, the Japanese government voted to return any Korean mail that had the Dokdo stamp affixed. At that time, Syngman Rhee¡¯s Ministry of Communication (now the Ministry of Information and Communication) printed 30 million stamps with the scenery of Dokdo on them. At that point, friction over the island spread into the world of postage, with the Japanese returning Korean mail with the Dokdo stamps and rubbing the stamps out with ink.
(Jeong Kweon-hyeon, khjung@chosun.com )
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