[Letters] Bridging troubled waters
To call the sea between Japan and Korea the East Sea is no less political than calling it the Sea of Japan. The East Sea is east of what? Obviously, it is east of Korea. Why not call it the West Sea? It is west of Japan, after all. Koreans could never accept the West Sea as an alternative. The Japanese likewise cannot accept the East Sea.
To state that the sea is east of Asia implies that Japan is not part of Asia. If naming a sea is a bout of one-upmanship, then disagreement will always be present. Perhaps naming it something less controversial might be considered, such as Friendship Sea, Blue Sea or Bamboo Sea.
David Woelke, Busan
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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