New names given to peaks on Dokdo islets

The Korean government has given official names to the two peaks of the Dokdo islets for the first time in 64 years.

The Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry recently opened a session of the National Committee on Geographical Names and said Sunday that it gave new names to the peak on East Dokdo ("Usanbong") and that on West Dokdo ("Daehanbong").

There had been no official names for peaks on Dokdo. A non-governmental organization related to Dokdo had called them “Ilchulbong” in the sense that the country`s first sunrise can be seen there. The name, however, did not get government approval.

North Gyeongsang Province and Ulleung County in April started the movement to name the two peaks after the territorial row over the islets with Japan began to worsen.

The eastern peak (98.6 meters above sea level), where the KT power transmission tower and Dokdo security barracks are located, received the name “Usanbong” considering that the islets were called “Usan” in the Joseon Dynasty. The western peak (168.5 meters above sea level) received the name “Daehanbong,” symbolizing the Korean Peninsula.

The National Committee on Geographical Names also changed the names of other regions of Dokdo that had inauthentic foreign names. The southern boulder on the eastern peak has its name changed from “Dongki Rock” to “Haenyeo Rock” since it was a place where female divers used to rest.

The name "Tank Rock” has been replaced with “Jeoncha Rock.” “Tanggeon Rock” has also been reclassified as a peak rather than a rock, thus making Dokdo an island with three peaks.

Source: http://english.donga.com