South Korea's perspective and propaganda in Dokdo/Takeshima Island dispute

One of the unresolved regional disputes in Asia, the Dokdo/Takeshima Island disagreement represents a multifaceted sovereignty conflict between South Korea and Japan. This study seeks to answer how South Korea's stance on the Dokdo/Takeshima Island dispute, viewed through the lens of propaganda, shapes reflections at national, regional, and global scales. Initially, the position of the dispute within the academic literature and its relationship with propaganda are explored; within this framework, existing studies on the dispute are thematically categorized to highlight the focal areas of the literature. The concept of propaganda is also discussed at a theoretical level, including its origins, purposes, methods, and dispute-specific examples. The following section analyzes the historical process of the dispute, tracing the island's historical portrayal from the 6th century CE to the 1990s, evaluating the significance of the island from both Korean and Japanese perspectives, and examining critical turning points in 1905, 1945, and 1951. The section focusing on South Korea's position analyzes concrete events such as the Takeshima Day decision, curriculum changes in textbooks, and symbolic struggles in international sporting events. Each event is discussed in terms of its impacts at national, regional, and global levels within the context of propaganda. Accordingly, the reasons and consequences of South Korea's approach to the dispute are comprehensively assessed.