What's in a name?

[txmapsociety]

To: Huseman, Ben
Subject: East Sea and Sea of Japan: What's in a Name?

Dear Ben,

I recently found theTexas Map Society. Because of your interest in maps and cartography, our communications firm is reaching out, on behalf of the Korean Consulate General, to inform you about an issue that you and your members need to know about.

The Republic of Korea is asking the US government and map publishers to use the name "East Sea" together with the "Sea of Japan" when referring to the body of water located between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago, over which both Japan and Korea have jurisdiction. This body of water has been called East Sea for over 2,000 years – you can read the historical background here: http://bit.ly/EastSeaMaps

Why is this important and why should this issue matter to your members?

* When dealing with matters of diplomacy, a name reflects how a country is viewed.

* Support for Korea's position is gaining momentum among many internationally respected cartographers and the media. National Geographic, Rand McNally, The Economist, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Le Monde have all begun using both names concurrently.

* Other evidence of growing support for Korea’s position includes a vox populi petition to the White House with more than 100,000 signatures, and a vote at an international organization's recent conference that denied Japan's proposal to use only the Sea of Japan name.

Will you consider posting about it on the Texas Map Society's message board, or perhaps including it in an upcoming member newsletter? Links to videos can be found at the bottom of this message, plus you can find additional information for your postings here: http://bit.ly/EastSea I'm also happy to send any additional materials you need.

Thanks, Ben! If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Best,

Kari Rippetoe
Parter International/Tuvel Communications Team
on behalf of Korean Consulate General in New York
kari@tuvel.com<mailto:kari@tuvel.com>
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Video: The Name, “East Sea” - http://bit.ly/Lu5puJ
Video: The World Map is Changing: Korea’s East Sea - http://bit.ly/JJSYIF