Dokdo, Korea's Beautiful Island

Dokdo is a small island located 87.4㎞ southeast of Ulleungdo Island. Located farthest from mainland Korea, Dokdo Island is in the eastern reaches of Korea’s territory. It is composed of two main islets, Dongdo (East Island) and Seodo (Western Island), and 30 surrounding rocky islets. Though small, Dokdo Island would be the most famous island in Korea. Long-standing disputes with Japan over the island have increased Koreans’ affection for the land to an ever higher level. Travel to this famous island, however, was not open to the public due to political and security reasons and for the preservation of nature. However, as travel has been allowed to ordinary citizens since March 24, 2005, a four-member team from KTO and VANK, a cyber agency for promoting Korea worldwide, seized the chance to visit the beautiful island. The team included Park Gi-tae, head of VANK, Jang Seong-il, director for international cooperation and English newspaper at VANK, Susan Crawford, advisor for the English website of KTO, and Do Hyeon-ji in charge of content management at KTO. Delighted by the news on the opening of the Dokdo tour to the public, the four people journeyed to the island at the end of April when spring was in full swing. >> More on Dokdo Island
How to Get to the Island The first thing you need to do to get to Dokdo Island is to book a ticket for Sambongho Ferry. The ferry operated by Dokdo Tour and Shipping Company is the only boat that will take you to the island. As there are many people wishing to visit the island, you may not be able to make a ferry reservation for the day you want to tour. Thus, it is advisable to reserve the ferry from Ullengdo Island to Dokdo Island first before booking a ferry to Ullengdo Island. Tourists must go through Ullengdo Island to get to Dokdo Island as there is no direct ferry. One more thing needed to set foot on the island is to send an application form to Ulleung-gun Administrative Office. This doesn’t mean that you have to visit the Administrative Office to submit the form. If you send the application form via fax to Dokdo Tour and Shipping Company, the exclusive ferry operator to Dokdo Island, the company will submit the form on your behalf. Weather is an important factor in the trip. As both Ulleungdo and Dokdo Islands are located far from the mainland, even the slightest deterioration in weather can affect the ferries’ operation. Source: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr