Syngman Rhee line
Encyclopedia
The Syngman Rhee Line (Hangul
: 이승만 라인) refers to a boundary line established by South Korea
n President Syngman Rhee
in his "Peace Line"(평화선) declaration of January 18, 1952, which included the Liancourt Rocks
in Korean territory.
Rhee stated that the purpose of the line was to protect Korea's marine resources around the Sea of Japan
; therefore it banned non-Korean fishing boats from inside the territory, and Liancourt Rocks
in particular.
South Korea had demanded that the MacArthur line established after World War II
continue to be enforced, though on August 10, 1951, the United States
sent Korean Ambassador Yang You Chan the Rusk documents
, stating that the official policy of the United States was that the MacArthur line would be abolished by the Treaty of San Francisco
. The treaty was signed on September 8 of the same year, about a month after the documents were sent, and was to come into effect on April 28, 1952. In response, the South Korean government declared the Syngman Rhee Line three months before this date, when the extinction of the MacArthur line and the return of sovereignty to Japan were meant to be established.
According to the Report of Van Fleet Mission to Far East
made in 1954, the U.S. government maintained that the one-sided declaration of the Syngman Rhee Line was illegal under international law.
The fishing boats- which were mostly Japanese- that violated the boundary line were seized by South Korea. Japanese records claim that such ships were often fired upon. The Japanese government protested the seizures and unilateral declaration strongly, but the abolition of the line had to wait even for the approval of the Japan-Korea Fishery Agreement in 1965. By the time an agreement was reached, 3929 Japanese people were arrested, of whom 44 were killed, and 328 Japanese ships were seized.
At the behest of the South Korean government, in exchange for the release of Japanese fisherman detained as a result of the line, the Japanese government released 472 Koreans in Japan who had been imprisoned as criminals. Those released gained the permission of residence (they became Zainichi
).
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 이승만 라인) refers to a boundary line established by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n President Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
in his "Peace Line"(평화선) declaration of January 18, 1952, which included the Liancourt Rocks
Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...
in Korean territory.
Rhee stated that the purpose of the line was to protect Korea's marine resources around the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
; therefore it banned non-Korean fishing boats from inside the territory, and Liancourt Rocks
Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...
in particular.
South Korea had demanded that the MacArthur line established after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
continue to be enforced, though on August 10, 1951, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sent Korean Ambassador Yang You Chan the Rusk documents
Rusk documents
The Rusk documents are the official diplomatic correspondence sent by Dean Rusk, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Yang You Chan , the South Korean ambassador to the U.S. The documents show the negotiating position of the U.S. State Department at the time...
, stating that the official policy of the United States was that the MacArthur line would be abolished by the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
. The treaty was signed on September 8 of the same year, about a month after the documents were sent, and was to come into effect on April 28, 1952. In response, the South Korean government declared the Syngman Rhee Line three months before this date, when the extinction of the MacArthur line and the return of sovereignty to Japan were meant to be established.
According to the Report of Van Fleet Mission to Far East
Report of Van Fleet Mission to Far East
The Report of Van Fleet Mission to the Far East is a secret report drafted by James Van Fleet, a US special mission ambassador, after a round of visits to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and sent to U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954...
made in 1954, the U.S. government maintained that the one-sided declaration of the Syngman Rhee Line was illegal under international law.
The fishing boats- which were mostly Japanese- that violated the boundary line were seized by South Korea. Japanese records claim that such ships were often fired upon. The Japanese government protested the seizures and unilateral declaration strongly, but the abolition of the line had to wait even for the approval of the Japan-Korea Fishery Agreement in 1965. By the time an agreement was reached, 3929 Japanese people were arrested, of whom 44 were killed, and 328 Japanese ships were seized.
At the behest of the South Korean government, in exchange for the release of Japanese fisherman detained as a result of the line, the Japanese government released 472 Koreans in Japan who had been imprisoned as criminals. Those released gained the permission of residence (they became Zainichi
Zainichi
Zainichi is a Japanese term meaning " residing in Japan," used often to point out Zainichi Koreans.*Zainichi Korean or Zainichi Chōsenjin or Zainichi Kankokujin .*Zainichi Gaikokujin , meaning "foreigner in Japan".*Zainichi Beigun...
).
Solving the problem
Solving the problem required many years. Obstacles to its settlement included the fact that there were no formal diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea at the time, that normalization talks were complicated by various compensation claims, and the refusal of the United States to intervene on the issue, regarding it as bilateral.History
- September 2, 1945 Japanese Government accepted the Potsdam DeclarationPotsdam DeclarationThe Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement calling for the Surrender of Japan in World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S...
. - January 29, 1946 Governmental and Administrative Separation of Certain Outlying Areas from Japan went into effect. SCAPIN#677(Supreme Commander of the Allied PowersSupreme Commander of the Allied PowersSupreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
Instruction Note No.677) - June 22, 1946 Area Authorized for Japanese Fishing and Whaling. SCAPINScapinFor the French play by Molière, also known as Scapin, see Les Fourberies de ScapinScapin is an Italian surname, frequent in the region of Veneto in northeastern Italy, especially in the provinces of Padua and Vicenza...
#1033(MacArthur Line) - August 13, 1948 Republic of Korea was founded. Syngman Rhee sworn-in as first president of South Korea.
- July 19, 1951 Korea demanded that the MacArthur line stay in effect.
- August 10, 1951 US government refused Korean demand by the Rusk documentsRusk documentsThe Rusk documents are the official diplomatic correspondence sent by Dean Rusk, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Yang You Chan , the South Korean ambassador to the U.S. The documents show the negotiating position of the U.S. State Department at the time...
. - September 8, 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan was signed.
- January 18, 1952 South Korean Government declares the Syngman Rhee Line as an alternative to the MacArthur line.
- April 28, 1952 Treaty of Peace with Japan became effective.
- January 12, 1953 South Korea Government ordered to seize a Japanese fishing boat that went into the Syngman Rhee Line.
- July 12, 1953 The South Korea police fired on a Patrol boatPatrol boatA patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
of the Japan Coast GuardJapan Coast GuardThe , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
. - 1954 In the Report of Van Fleet Mission to Far EastReport of Van Fleet Mission to Far EastThe Report of Van Fleet Mission to the Far East is a secret report drafted by James Van Fleet, a US special mission ambassador, after a round of visits to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and sent to U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954...
written by US special mission ambassador James Van FleetJames Van FleetJames Alward Van Fleet was a U.S. Army officer during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. He served as a regimental, divisional and corps commander during World War II and as...
, counseled Korea that the Syngman Rhee line was illegal.
- 1965 Japan-Korea Fishery Agreement was concluded. Syngman Rhee Line was repealed.
See also
- Rusk documentsRusk documentsThe Rusk documents are the official diplomatic correspondence sent by Dean Rusk, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Yang You Chan , the South Korean ambassador to the U.S. The documents show the negotiating position of the U.S. State Department at the time...
- Treaty of San FranciscoTreaty of San FranciscoThe Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
- Japan-Korea relationsJapan-Korea relationsKorea-Japan relations are the relations between Korea and Japan. In a modern context, these relations pertain to three states: Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. Japan and Korea have had cultural interactions for over a thousand years and direct political contact almost as long...
- Japanese-Korean disputes
- Tsushima IslandTsushima IslandTsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
- Liancourt RocksLiancourt RocksThe Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...
- Dai Ichi Daihoumaru Ship caseDai Ichi Daihoumaru Ship caseThe Dai Ichi Daihoumaru Ship Incident The Dai Ichi Daihoumaru Ship Incident The Dai Ichi Daihoumaru Ship Incident (第一大邦丸事件 [Dai Ichi Daihoumaru jiken] refers to an incident where the South Korean Coast Guard shot and killed Seto Jujiro (瀬戸 重次郎), the head fisherman of the Japanese Dai Ichi...
- Report of Van Fleet Mission to Far EastReport of Van Fleet Mission to Far EastThe Report of Van Fleet Mission to the Far East is a secret report drafted by James Van Fleet, a US special mission ambassador, after a round of visits to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and sent to U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954...