Hangul 대청도 Revised Romanization Daecheongdo Area 12.62 km² | Hanja 大青島 McCune–Reischauer Taech‘ŏngdo | |
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Daecheong Island is a 12.63 km2 (4.88 sq mi), 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 6.3 km (3.9 mi) wide island in Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea, near the Northern Limit Line. The 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement which ended the Korean War specified that the five islands including Daecheong Island would remain under U.N. and South Korea control. This agreement was signed by both DPRK and United Nations Command. Since then, it serves as a maritime demarcation between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea (also called West Sea).
Contents
- Map of Incheon Daecheong myeon EB8C80ECB2ADEB8F84
- History
- Economy
- Environment
- Neighboring islands
- 2009 battle
- References
Map of Incheon, Daecheong-myeon, %EB%8C%80%EC%B2%AD%EB%8F%84
The island is 19 km (12 mi) from the coast of South Hwanghae Province in North Korea.
History
Daecheongdo Island is estimated to be first inhabited during the Neolithic Age (9500-4500 BC), but there are signs of culture from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 AD), during which time the island was used as a place of exile for criminals. The Chinese Emperor Togon-temur (1320-d.1370) exiled there by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty for conspiring in aa plot arranged by his stepmother. Legends say he arrived at the island with a court and 100 relatives, then built a palace. The island was general uninhabited until 1793, when King Jeongjo, of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), imported farmers to cultivate the island. During the Japanese occupation of Korea between 1910-1945, there were as many as 10,000 people living thanks to its large port. Today, the island only inhabits approximately 1,500 people who sustain a living from tourism and fishing.
Economy
Fishing is popular on the island. Until the late 1980s, skate fishing was a growing industry.
Environment
The island is at the northernmost natural range of the Camellia japonica.
Neighboring islands
Two islands nearby are Baengnyeong Island and the much smaller Socheong Island.
2009 battle
On 10 November 2009, the waters near the island were the scene of a skirmish between the South Korean and North Korean navies. A patrol boat from North Korea was seriously damaged while the navy of South Korea sustained no casualties.