Why Did the President Call the “West Sea” the “Yellow Sea”?

[Choice Times=Joo-hyun Park, CEO of Jae-Dam Entertainment]

At his New Year’s press conference on the 21st, President Lee Jae-myung was asked to evaluate the outcome of his visit to China. In response, he said, “I believe we should be conducting things like joint search-and-rescue drills in the Yellow Sea, which is currently under discussion.”

Until the early 1970s, the West Sea was often referred to as the “Yellow Sea,” and that name even appeared in textbooks. Since then, however, from the standpoint of national sovereignty, the designation “West Sea” has become firmly established, and the entire nation has called it that.

So why, at this particular moment, did President Lee choose the awkward-sounding term “Yellow Sea”?
Was it a slip of the tongue—or a deliberate choice?

On international maps, the official designation is “Yellow Sea.” Following the Korea–China summit, claims have spread on social media that Naver Maps, exhibition maps at the Independence Hall of Korea, and others have “changed their labeling of the West Sea to Yellow Sea.” (Editor’s note)

Have you ever heard anyone around you actually use the term “Yellow Sea”?

Unless one is a geographer or someone who has memorized 1950s-era textbooks by heart, 99 percent of South Koreans call that body of water the “West Sea.” Suggesting, “Let’s go eat grilled clams at the Yellow Sea this weekend,” would likely get you treated either as a spy or as someone who stepped out of a time machine.

And yet, a very peculiar coincidence has occurred.

No sooner had The Hankyoreh rushed to put up a defensive line after the Korea–China summit—declaring that “Yellow Sea has been the official name for 65 years and questioning it is a far-right conspiracy”—than the president, freshly returned from meeting Xi Jinping, conspicuously referred to “joint search-and-rescue drills in the Yellow Sea.”

This is not a simple matter of word choice. It is a scene of linguistic tribute, in which the president walks confidently down a red carpet laid out by the media, holding a Chinese-style designation.

Let us look at this sea through the map of common sense. “West Sea” reflects our sovereign perspective: it is the sea to the west of the Korean Peninsula. “Yellow Sea,” by contrast, reflects a China-centered geographic perception, derived from the yellow silt of the Yellow River flowing into it. What, then, could be the intent behind discarding the perfectly serviceable term “West Sea” and deliberately invoking “Yellow Sea” immediately after a summit with the Chinese leader?

What is even more infuriating is the courteous parenthesis embedded in press coverage of the president’s remarks: “Yellow Sea (West Sea).”

The president deliberately uttered a term he does not normally use, and the media obligingly adds “(West Sea)” in parentheses. This feels less like journalism than a public translation-and-correction service:
“Our president used a Chinese-coded term to accommodate China, so you livestock-like citizens should naturally understand it as ‘West Sea.’”

It is a forced comprehension, and a desperate wagging of the tail by the media to cover up the stench of servility.

And let me guess—if someone were to label it the “Sea of Japan (East Sea),” you would once again erupt in selective patriotic fury, possessed by the spirits of independence fighters.

Do not forget this:
Those who change the name eventually try to change the owner as well.

#WestSea #YellowSeaControversy #LanguageAndSovereignty