VANK has successfully defended the name “East Sea.”
The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) announced on August 5, 2025 that the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas, officially acknowledged an error found during VANK’s recent on-site investigation. The museum has pledged to correct the problem by adopting the dual name “East Sea (동해)” and improving its internal system. The correction is seen as a significant achievement, as it represents more than just raising an issue—an international cultural institution has taken concrete action.
During a visit to Dallas for the 43rd National Association for Korean Schools (NAKS) Conference and Annual Meeting, VANK members discovered that a Japanese map on display labeled the waters as the “Sea of Japan” without including “East Sea.” VANK promptly sent the museum a formal letter requesting correction, citing historical and international law grounds.
In that letter, VANK researcher Koo Seung-hyun explained:
“The term ‘Sea of Japan’ was registered unilaterally by Japan in International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) documents during the Japanese colonial period, when Korea was unable to represent itself in the international community. The term spread globally from that historical imbalance. Considering this, either using ‘East Sea’ alone or presenting both names—‘East Sea / Sea of Japan’—is a more fair and balanced expression today.”
Koo also pointed out that world-renowned publishers and mapmakers such as Dorling Kindersley (DK), World Atlas, and National Geographic have already adopted the dual use of “East Sea” at VANK’s request. She emphasized that dual naming is not merely Korea’s unilateral claim but rather a rational choice that reflects fairness and diversity in the international community.
She further explained that Virginia passed legislation in 2017 requiring all state textbooks to include both “East Sea” and “Sea of Japan,” while New York State’s Department of Education adopted similar guidelines in 2019. The museum’s correction, therefore, is in line with these international trends.
The request also matched principles set by both the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN), which recommend using multiple names when countries sharing a geographic feature cannot reach consensus on a single designation. This logical basis played a key role in the museum’s swift acceptance.
On August 5, Natalia Di Pietrantonio, Senior Curator at the Crow Museum of Asian Art, responded with an official letter:
“The exhibition text in question was written by an external curator specializing in Japanese art. It was a clear mistake on our part that the term ‘Sea of Japan’ was not removed during editing, and we sincerely apologize. We recognize the serious implications of using a term inconsistent with our institution’s mission. We have revised our exhibition text style guide to clearly reflect this issue and will use the term ‘East Sea’ going forward. The problematic map has been removed as of today, and we will exercise particular caution in future collaborations with guest curators.”
The museum thus fully acknowledged the mistake and officially committed to using “East Sea (동해)” in future exhibitions. The fact that the correction has been incorporated into its style guide marks meaningful institutional change.
VANK leader Park Ki-tae stated:
“This correction is not just about Dallas. It is a model case of cultural diplomacy, showing the world’s leading institutions the truth about Korea’s history and geography. Now is the time for all 7.5 million overseas Koreans—including Korean school teachers and the next generation abroad—to work together to spread correct awareness of Korea’s identity and history worldwide.”
He added that, as Korean cultural content such as K-pop, dramas, and games—and even works like K-Pop Demon Hunters—gain global recognition, spreading correct awareness of Korea’s history and geography is more important than ever.
Researcher Koo emphasized that major American museums’ Asian galleries remain heavily focused on China and Japan:
“We hope this case leads to independent exhibition spaces highlighting Korean history and culture, and to more balanced presentations of Asia as a whole. We also plan to share this example widely with Korean school teachers, Korean communities, and younger generations in the U.S. so that the 7.5 million overseas Koreans can become global ambassadors promoting Korea.”
She stressed that the task of correctly informing the world about Korea’s history and identity is not solely the responsibility of the government or VANK but a shared journey of the Korean diaspora. She expressed hope that this case will not be a one-off correction but will strengthen the role of the overseas Korean community in expanding the reach of Hallyu.
Meanwhile, VANK recently took part in the 43rd NAKS Conference and Annual Meeting, where Park Ki-tae and researchers Kwon So-young and Koo Seung-hyun presented specific ways Korean school teachers could act as “Korean Wave Ambassadors.” Their ideas were met with enthusiastic support from educators.
Going forward, VANK plans to strengthen cooperation with Korean schools worldwide and to work closely with embassies, consulates, cultural centers, and educational institutes in each country to promote accurate understanding of Korea globally.
Full text of the Crow Museum’s reply:
“Thank you sincerely for visiting our institution and bringing this issue to our attention.
We deeply apologize for the error in our editing process and recognize the serious problems that can arise from using terminology inconsistent with our mission.
For the exhibition in question, an external curator specializing in Japanese art prepared all of the materials. It was our clear mistake that the term ‘Sea of Japan’ was not removed during editing.
Accordingly, we have revised our museum’s exhibition text style guide to reflect the matter clearly and will use the term ‘East Sea (동해)’ in the future. We will also pay particular attention to this issue when working with guest curators.
The map in question has been removed as of today, and the exhibition space is now being prepared for a new display. We thank you for noticing and pointing out this error before its removal, and we will continue to work diligently for historically accurate terminology.
We regret that we failed to uphold these standards during your visit.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinion with us, and we hope you will visit us again when you return to Dallas.
Thank you.”