History
A political hot spot, this speck of an island has a complicated and contentious history stretching back to 512 A.D. Korean and Japanese fisherman have fished in nearby waters since time immemorial, and references to a Korean island that may or may not be Dokdo have been documented in historical records since the 6th century.
For a while now there has been a heated debate between Korea and Japan, with both staking claim to the island. The trouble began in 1905, when Japan incorporated the island, claiming that it was terra nullius unowned land. Korea was a Japanese protectorate at the time and in no position to object.
After World War II, the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1952 explicitly gave Korea control of Jeju, Ulleungdo and Geommun-do, but Dokdo was left out of the agreement completely. The islands have been under de facto Korean control ever since, but to this day, Japan continues to assert that the islands are theirs — a very sore point in Japan-Korea relations.
Access to visitors was limited until Japan's Shimane prefecture declared a "Takeshima Day", inflaming the already volatile situation. The Korean government responded by opening the island up to tourists on March 24, 2005. Since then, an average of 80 thousand visitors visit the island every year.
Inhabitants
A fisherman by trade, Kim Sung-Do and his wife Kim Shin-Yeol are the only permanent residents on the island. There are also a small dispatch of security police officers, representatives from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and three lighthouse keepers who reside there on rotation.