Why are patriotic Koreans going on day trips to the Dokdo islets over which Japan stakes a claim?
With Korea’s Liberation Day on August 15, Koreans are heading for the territorially disputed Dokdo islets – called Takeshima islands in Japan – as local tour companies are offering up special tours
Located about 200 kilometres off the country's eastern coast, the Dokdo islets have become a must-see place for Koreans who visit Ulleung Island, a nearby bigger island closer to the mainland, if weather permits.
The Dokdo islets, or Takeshima islands as they are called by Japan, are a tiny group of craggy islets at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between Japan and Korea that goes back more than 300 years.
Against this backdrop, some Korean tour companies are presenting tour programmes which include Dokdo, which means “solitary island” in Korean.
Web Tour, a Hana Tour subsidiary that specialises in Ulleung Island and Dokdo tours, is offering a free day tour to Dokdo to those who book a three-day tour on Ulleung Island during August. Before, the option cost an extra 58,000 won (US$48).
Kang Su-jung, a marketing officer at Web Tour, says more Koreans are seeking out the islets compared to previous years.
“The special tour package is timed for the upcoming Liberation Day (August 15) and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Korea's Provisional Government against the Japanese colonial government,” Kang said in a phone interview. “We hope many people will take this chance to visit our Dokdo.”
Some of the increase in visitor numbers is fuelled by the completion of a new coastal motorway on Ulleung Island last December, Kang added.
JH Ferry, which runs boat rides among Hupo Port in Uljin, Ulleung Island and Dokdo, also announced this week that it would provide a free Dokdo tour to those who sign up for an all-inclusive three-day package in Ulleung.