Ancient Map Sheds Light on Gando Border Issue

A Japanese official map identifying the Tomun River, controversial in regard to territorial border between Korea and Ching China, as a tributary of the Songari River, and not as the Tumen River has been uncovered. The map was produced in 1909 when Japan ceded the territoriality of the Gando region to China under the Gando Agreement. The map draws attention because it is a definitive data revealing Gando as Korean territory and refuting the Chinese assertion that the Tomun River is another name of the Tumen River.

Yi Sang-tae, historical data chief of the Korean History Compilation Commission, has recently located the map from among data kept by the late bibliographer Yi Jong-hak and made it public Wednesday. Titled "Map No. 9. Survey of Water System near the Mt. Baekdu Border Stone Monument," the map depicts in detail Mt. Baekdu, the Yalu, Tumen and Songari rivers (Tomun River) and their branches.

The map marks the "Tomun River" as the stream that flows northeast from Mt. Baekdu, bends north and converges with the Songari River, and the "Tumen River" as a river flowing east. This evinces that the Tomun and Tomen rivers cannot be different names of a river. The Mt. Baekdu Border stone monument erected in 1712 has an inscription, "The Yalu and Tomun Rivers constitute the border of Korea and Ching." China claims that Gando was Chinese territory on grounds that the Tomun River is identical with the Tumen River, while Korea claims the Tomun River is a tributary of the Songari River.

(Yu Sok-jae/karma@choun.com)