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We start with another huge step forward in the push for the co-designation of the Korean
name "East Sea" as well as "Sea of Japan" in school text books in the U.S. state of
Virginia. Park Ji-won reports.
The so-called "East Sea" bill has passed the Virginia House of Delegates -- the last phase
of the legislative process -- in a 82 to 16 vote.
The bill requires all text books approved by the Board of Education to note that the
"Sea of Japan" is also referred to as the Korean name "East Sea."
As the bill passed the state Senate in January,... it now only requires the governor's signature
for it to become law. Governor Terry McAuliffe is expected to sign
the bill by early April at the latest,... and the bill will take effect from July 1st.
The passing of the bill is a major victory for the state's estimated 82-thousand Korean
American residents. They had to overcome intense lobbying by the
Japanese government, in which Tokyo warned it might reconsider Japanese investment in
the state. The Korean American community in Virginia
has been pushing hard for the change since the early 1990s.
They, as well as all Koreans, view the "Sea of Japan" designation as an unpleasant reminder
of Japan's brutal colonization of the Korean peninsula in the early to mid-20th century.
The Korean American community aims to further introduce the dual-naming-bill,... in U.S.
states with high Korean American populations like California, New York, and New Jersey.
They ultimately hope to change the U.S. government's single name policy regarding sea names.
The International Hydrographic Organization, or IHO, published a book designating official
names of the seas in 1929. Japan registered the name "Sea of Japan" to
refer to the body of water that separates Korea and Japan,... however, as Korea was
colonized by Japan back then, it had no way to voice its opposition on the world stage.
The Korean government has been calling for the IHO to change the current single-name
of the sea to at least a dual-naming,... as the term "East Sea" has been used in Korea
for thousands of years. Park Ji-won, Arirang News.