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In the middle of the Sea of Japan, almost equidistant between Japan and Korea, jut two seemingly inconsequential craggy islets. They are no larger than Grand Central Terminal and yet the Liancourt Rocks—or Dokdo Islands or Takeshima Islands depending on who is asking—are at the center of a diplomatic dispute between the two countries that goes back more than 300 years.
Though the Dokdo—meaning ‘Solitary Island’ in Korean—are not an obvious tourist destination (the journey from the Korean peninsula involves two three-hour boat trips and most of the island is inaccessible) enthusiastic Korean patriots visit the rocks in droves to exercise what they see as a civic duty. They wave flags, take selfies, play music, and walk along the promenade, taking in the dramatic coastline that they claim as their own.
“[Koreans] are very protective of their culture and their race—they want to protect whatever they have,” French photographer Tim Franco, who travelled to the islands this summer, tells National Geographic. “Dokdo is a good example of that. This is one thing that they kept back from World War II...
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