Schools

School Officials Address 'Sea of Japan' Naming Controversy

Textbooks aren't changing, but classrooms will discuss the matter to let students draw their own conclusions on what the sea should be referred to, officials said.

Don't expect the textbooks in Fort Lee schools to refer to the body of water between Japan, Korea and China as "The East Sea" anytime soon. But if the apparently problematic name emerges in classrooms, there will be active discussion on school officials said Monday night.

The Korean-American Association of New Jersey recently presented a petition with 1,500 signatures favoring the name change in the three towns, including Fort Lee. 

The body of water has been referred to as "The Sea of Japan" since the 20th century (when Japan took over Korea), but had been known as "The East Sea" in prior centuries, the Korean-American group said. The International Hydrographic Organization, which is responsible for naming rights of water across the globe, has rejected the use of "East Sea".

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We knew it as East Sea, and we want our children to learn the correct term," Sonny Kim, the group's vice president, was quoted as saying by northjersey.com. "To us Korean-Americans, the correct name is East Sea."

Prompted by resident questions Monday night as to what it plans on doing, officials said the title officially remains as "The Sea of Japan."

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

However, said Interim Superintendent Sharon Amato, teachers have been notified of the request and will be having discussions with students so they can draw their own conclusions.

"It's a worthy conversation," she told the audience Monday night at the board meeting.

At the board meeting, BOE president Yusang Park said he felt some of the comments posted on the May 16 Patch article "were racist" and said he hopes they "aren't representative of the community" at large.


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