KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 1st (25th June 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Day 1st (25th June 2012): It was an early morning of June 25th 2012, and we have to arrive at Daewoo foundation building no later than 7:10am. It is very hard for me to get up early in the morning, but this day I have to get up very early morning because I dont want to miss the great opportunity to explore the beauty tips of Korea, that is visiting gorgeous Dokdo and Ulleungdo. So we four friends from INHA University started our journey from INHA back gate at early 5:30am and reached Daewoo foundation building at 7:00am. After reaching at Daewoo foundation building someone stranger was calling my name, I went to her and found that she is our team leader Park Sun Joo. She was so friendly that after 5 minutes she was no more stranger for me. We rode bus#3 arranged by KNCCN, which took us to the Mookho ferry terminal after a 3 hours journey. We board a ferry named Sunflower at 11:30, it was my first (I wish last journey too) journey on a ferry. The weather condition was not good and our journey from Mookho to Ulleungdo was not smooth because of high tides. I was very uncomfortable due to headache, and I was feeling that soon I will start vomiting. I kept controlled myself all the way not to vomit, but most of our friends and other passengers did vomiting. At last after a hard journey of three and a half hours we arrived at a beautiful island called Ulleungdo. At a very first look, this panoramic island of mysterious beauty attracted my heart, there were lush green mountain, breathtaking sceneries, the turquoise sea, thick forests, and rocks of all sorts of odd shapes and sizes. And I was soon convinced that there must be nothing like them anywhere else. It was a walking distance from the dock to Ulleung hotel, where we were supposed to stay. The schedule was very tight and just after check in we started to go to the attractive places in the vicinity of the hotel (almost walking distance). These places included Dokdo Museum, Cable car, and Dokdo observatory, but due to windy weather, we only visited the Dokdo Museum while Dokdo observatory cable car was postponed. The museum exhibits historical materials that support Koreas claim that Dokdo is a part of Korean territory. Items here also show the lifestyle and natural environment of Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Our dinner was scheduled from 6:20pm to 7:20pm and after that we were given a free time. We utilized our free time greatly, walking along the seaside of Dodong harbor is a superb view. You can appreciate the wonderful view of rocky coastline with cliffs of bizarre shapes and natural caves. Seaside walk leads to a village called Haengnam. Dodong lighthouse which is located 400 meters away from the village lightens the waterways. It almost took two hours to make a round trip of the seaside walk, including snapshot sessions. We came back to our hotel and in this way we finished our first day of Dokdo and Ulleungdo tour.

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 1st Snapshots

Day 1st Snapshots:

Inhanians at Dokdo Museum

A group photo in front of Ulleung Hotel

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 1st Snapshots

Walking along the Seaside of Dodong~Haengnam

Seashore Walking Trails (Dodong~Haengnam)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 2nd (26th June 2012)

Day 2nd (26th June 2012): The round trip from Ulleungdo to Dokdo almost takes six hours, so again we had to wake up very early. We started our journey from Ulleung Sadong ferry terminal towards Dokdo at 7:30am, just after our breakfast. Again, the same feelings, headache and vomiting as the journey was not smooth due to high tides. However, this time we few friends were allotted a separate small room in the ferry, and I slept all the way to Dokdo on a large bench. We arrived at Dokdo after two and a half hours of tedious journey. We were given a very short time at Dokdo. I with other friends tried to follow a beautiful track towards the peak of the Dongdo rock, but soon we were stopped by the security personnel. I was thinking that I will learn more about Dokdo once I arrived there, but could do so due to short time (only 15 minutes stay). Anyhow, I became more curious about Dokdo, and after coming back to Incheon, I reached the following facts about Dokdo. Dokdo is actually a natural volcanic formation of the islands almost 4.6 million years ago and older than Jejudo and Ulleungdo. Dokdo is a small island consisting of two main islands, Dongdo (West Island) and Seodo (East Island). But because of Seodos steep slopes, it is almost impossible to inhabit. And thats why there are people and facilities on Dongdo, which has a gentler slope. But actually, Seodo has a residence for fishermen. There is a pier in Dongdo in order to dock the ship and Dokdo can only be reached by ship. Also, Dokdo has a mailbox. On 30th March 2011, the Japanese announced that it would teach students that japan owns Dokdo both historically and legally. And Korea is illegally occupying it. The Japanese keep claiming the island for themselves because of its enormous geographical and economic value. First, lets take a look at Dokdos economic value. The seas near the island hold an enormous deposit of methane hydrates also known as burning ice, which is in solid form but a natural gas called methane can be extracted from it. These reservoirs can fulfill the natural-gas needs of the entire Korean nation for 30 years. Besides this, the seas near the island contain a rich source of deep-sea water. Also, the island is a meeting place of cold and warm currents, making it a rich fishery. Also, Dokdo has a very high ecological value. It is a habitat for Sulpaeraengiggot flowers, or large pinks. It is especially important as the habitat of fauna such as the black-tailed gull, the Chinese erget, and the spotted redshank. Aside from these economic and ecological considerations, the island holds crucial territorial significance as well. Thats why Dokdo is very important, and its no wonder that Japan keeps claiming that its their territory. Also, there must be genuine reasons that Japan can make a claim on the Dokdo. From Korean point of view, Ulleungdo and Dokdo are geographically linked, and therefore Dokdo has always been and will always be part of Korea. We had lunch at Ulleung Hotel after coming back from Dokdo. Soon after we started visiting other beautiful places in Ulleungdo, including Nari Basin. Nari Basin is the only flat ground in Ulleungdo. It is covered with up to three meters of snow during winter. Despite this unwelcoming natural environment, 16 households still inhabit Nari Basin. Those living in the Basin earn a high income by producing medicinal plants.

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 2nd Snapshots

Day 2 Snapshots:

nd

About to arrive at Dongdo dockyard

Inhanians with security personnel at Dokdo

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 2nd Snapshots

A view of Seodo from Dongdo

Nari Basin, the only flat ground in Ulleungdo, mostly used for Agriculture purpose

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 3rd (27th June 2012)

Day 3rd (27th June 2012): After breakfast at 9:00am we started visiting other attractive places in Ulleungdo. Our fist destination was Bongnae waterfall. It is a triple level waterfall, located 2 kilometers upwards from Jeondong harbor. As water is falling between the primeval forests, people are lost in its wonderful scenery. On the way to waterfall I came across a really interesting cave called Punghyeol, which serves as a natural air-conditioner. Another beautiful seashore trail leads you to the Nasujeon viewpoint. It is a famous sunrise observatory. We did not find it as a sunrise observatory because we went there around 11:00am. However, we enjoyed the panoramic view of Jukdo islet and Bukmyongbawi rock from the Nasujeon sunrise observatory. The size of Jukdo is 207,868m2. The island is rich in self-generating bamboo trees and presently, two people of a household are residing in the island. This island is in lack of water, so the rainfall is used as drinking water. As Dokdo observatory cable car visit was postponed on the very first day of our tour due to windy weather. Therefore, the KNCCN team decided to visit it on the last day (Day 3rd). So after visiting Nasujeon viewpoint, we went to the Dokdo observatory cable car, a must-see tourist attraction. The cable car takes visitors up to Manghyangbong peak, from which one can get a birds-eye-view of Ulleungdo island and if the weather is good, you will be able to see Dokdo (which is just 87.4 Kilometers away) with your naked eyes. Now its time to say good-bye to Ulleungdo. We had our lunch at Ulleung Hotel and started to gather on Dodong Ferry Terminal, where a ferry named Sunflower2 was waiting for us. We board the ferry at 4:00pm and reached the Mookho ferry terminal around 7:00pm. At the Mookho ferry terminal, we rode the bus arranged by KNCCN, which took us to Seouls subway station. The time was too late, but we were lucky to catch the last train to Incheon. We entered our home at Incheon, missing the panoramic islands of mysterious beauty. My special thanks to Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature (KNCCN), for providing such a good opportunity to visit the mysterious Islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, and also experiencing the Korean culture and ecological environment.

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 3rd Snapshots

Day 3rd Snapshots:

Inhanians at Bongnae waterfall

A Natural Air-Conditioner on the way to Bongnae waterfall 8

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

Pervez Khan Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea

Day 3rd Snapshots

A View of Bukmyongbawi from the Nasujeon Viewpoint

A Panoramic View of Jukdo and Bukmyongbawi Islets from the Nasujeon Viewpoint

The Dokdo Observatory Cable Car

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)