Yi Gyu-wonwas born in Gangwon Province in the 3rd lunar month of 1833 (the 33rd Year of King Sunjo’s reign). He entered government service at the age of 19 and became a career military official. Yi was appointed to various government posts such as Minister of War, Army Commander-in-Chief, and Magistrate of Jeju before his death at the age of 69 in the 11th lunar month of 1901. In 1881, he was named Royal Inspector for Ulleungdo.That year, military patrols carried out under the Government Patrol System spotted Japanese men engaging in a host of trespassing and illegal logging activities on Ulleungdo despite a ban on travel by Japanese citizens to Ulleungdo in the wake of the An Yong-bok incident. The Governor of Gangwon Province reported these illegal activities to the Joseon central government. The Joseon government responded by naming Yi Gyu-won Royal Inspector of Ulleungdo, then sending him to the island to launch an investigation into the matter.
From the time of his arrival on the 30th day of the 4th lunar month, until his departure on the 11th day of the 5th lunar month of 1882, Yi conducted a comprehensive survey of the island that included its topography, fertility, and habitability in addition to a detailed list of Ulleungdo’s fisheries products. According to his account, a number of mountain peaks that surrounded the island rose steeply above the clouds, as if to form natural barricades, and huge trees stretched up to the sky, nearly blocking out the sun. People from all over Joseon came to the island each spring to cut down trees for lumber to be used in boat building, while others came to fish or gather various seaweeds. Others pitched their tents on the island and collected herbs. On top of the mountain in Nari-dong, he noted that a plateau stretching about 4 kilometers across was quite fertile so that once cleared for farming, the area might be able to sustain a population of about a thousand. His report also mentioned that some Japanese had posted a demarcation sign of their own and were actively logging the island as if it were their property.
Ulleungdo oedo (A Surface Map of Ulleungdo) by Yi Gyu-won, Royal Inspector of Ulleungdo
Yi’s survey prompted the Korean government to immediately lodge a formal protest against the Japanese and to resurrect its plans to establish a settlement on the island. The first authorized settlers, 16 households comprising 54 people, hailed from various regions of the country. The population continued to grow and, in October 1990, the Great Han Empire issued Imperial Ordinance No. 41 which elevated the administrative status of Ulleungdo to that of an independent county (gun) and placed Ulleungdo and Dokdo under the jurisdiction of the County Magistracy. Over the years, there had been periodic talks about installing a military base on the island and encouraging migration of people from the mainland to Ulleungdo, but the pro-settlement side never won the day. Yi Gyu-won’s exploration had turned the tide of the debate and helped lift restrictions that had been enforced on the island for four centuries under the Island Vacating Policy, thereby creating the need for the government to institute a radical new policy to manage the island.
From the time of his arrival on the 30th day of the 4th lunar month, until his departure on the 11th day of the 5th lunar month of 1882, Yi conducted a comprehensive survey of the island that included its topography, fertility, and habitability in addition to a detailed list of Ulleungdo’s fisheries products. According to his account, a number of mountain peaks that surrounded the island rose steeply above the clouds, as if to form natural barricades, and huge trees stretched up to the sky, nearly blocking out the sun. People from all over Joseon came to the island each spring to cut down trees for lumber to be used in boat building, while others came to fish or gather various seaweeds. Others pitched their tents on the island and collected herbs. On top of the mountain in Nari-dong, he noted that a plateau stretching about 4 kilometers across was quite fertile so that once cleared for farming, the area might be able to sustain a population of about a thousand. His report also mentioned that some Japanese had posted a demarcation sign of their own and were actively logging the island as if it were their property.
Ulleungdo oedo (A Surface Map of Ulleungdo) by Yi Gyu-won, Royal Inspector of Ulleungdo
Yi’s survey prompted the Korean government to immediately lodge a formal protest against the Japanese and to resurrect its plans to establish a settlement on the island. The first authorized settlers, 16 households comprising 54 people, hailed from various regions of the country. The population continued to grow and, in October 1990, the Great Han Empire issued Imperial Ordinance No. 41 which elevated the administrative status of Ulleungdo to that of an independent county (gun) and placed Ulleungdo and Dokdo under the jurisdiction of the County Magistracy. Over the years, there had been periodic talks about installing a military base on the island and encouraging migration of people from the mainland to Ulleungdo, but the pro-settlement side never won the day. Yi Gyu-won’s exploration had turned the tide of the debate and helped lift restrictions that had been enforced on the island for four centuries under the Island Vacating Policy, thereby creating the need for the government to institute a radical new policy to manage the island.
