The travel restrictions on Dokdo have been repealed. That makes you curious, and anyone might feel the urge to visit the islets. It seems Japan's making a quarrel over territorial rights has made the country's passion for Dokdo stronger than ever before.
Even if one considers everyone's deep love and desire to defend the islets, however, having an absurd number of people suddenly traveling to them would be a problem. More than a few tourist spots have been ruined after people flocked to them en masse. It did not take long for Jeongdongjin to turn into a motel colony from a secluded fishing village known for its sunrise. The road through the waters, the "Moses' miracle" at Jin island's Hoedong-ri, was contaminated because of the crowds passing through. Haenam's Ttangkkeut saw its outstanding natural beauty significantly damaged when they built a huge observation tower on the top of the mountain there. The reason people all swarm to the same few places like that is because movement in a northerly direction is blocked and there is little natural diversity, and because Korea lacks a culture of tourism on the one hand and there is sensationalistic media coverage of certain places on the other.
It would be hard to expect the habit is going to change, and so allowing visits to Dokdo is cause for a lot of concern. The islets are a world class geological site that allows you to see how undersea volcanoes evolved 2.5 million to 4.5 million years ago. The topsoil there is so weak it falls apart when walked on, and the incline is steep. There is already a police guard unit building, anti-aircraft radar, and an apartment-style building for fishing crews. In addition to that, the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) plans to build an tsunami watch post by 2007. The government of North Gyeongsang province wants to build a maritime science base involving the construction of a larger pier facility, so that it can receive tourists. One wonders whether the ecological environment at Dokdo can handle all the weight, and whether the rare birds there will be able to continue breed. We need to exercise restraint and be satisfied with demonstrating that Dokdo is ours by taking a boat and sailing around it.
The Hankyoreh, 22 March 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Let's Not All Go To Dokdo At Once |
