Gmarket takes out Dokdo ad in New York Times

Seo Kyoung-duk _ a self-styled Dokdo advocate _ in association with Gmarket, the nation’s leading e-commerce company posted a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, Thursday, promoting the islets.

The date also marked the anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, when Koreans protested against Japan’s colonial rule in 1919.

The ad was printed on page 5 in section A, in the form of a puzzle.

In the puzzle, readers are supposed to correctly connect the national flags of South Korea, Italy, Indonesia and the United State with four islands.

All of them have been already connected except for South Korea and Dokdo to emphasize that the islets are part of Korea.

Seo said that through the ad he wanted to focus more on tourism as it is obvious that the territory is part of Korea.

“We put the tourist value first instead of focusing on the fact that the islets are our territory, as it is obvious historically and geographical and by international law,” he said. “So we think it is important to promote them in terms of tourism and culture.”

He also said the advertisement used was the winner of a contest where some 250 were submitted.

At the bottom, the ad he wrote that Dokdo was a beautiful group of islets located in the East Sea with a scenic view, including nearby Ulleungdo.

The rest of the advert reads: “Korea is surrounded by sea on three sides and has many beautiful islets like this. Why don’t you come and enjoy your summer vacation in Korea this year? I promise that you won’t be disappointed.”

Since 2008, Seo has worked to let the world know more about Korean issues, including China’s Northeast Project and “comfort women.”

He has so far placed advertisements about Dokdo not only in the New York Times but also in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. <Korea Times/Kim Tae-jong>

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