Recent aggressive moves by China on its historical territorial claims in the China Seas are being called politically explosive. Now new questions over the sovereignty of a dormant volcano threaten to add a literally explosive element to these disputes. A US State Department statement given to Korean Confidential does nothing to defuse the situation.
The still-rumbling volcano along the Chinese/North Korean border is called Paektu or Baekdu Mountain by North and South Korea respectively, and Changbai Mountain by China (other usages include Paektu-san, Baekdu-san and Baitoushan). Koreans, who consider it the birthplace of their nation, have reacted in anger to Chinese statements in recent years that Baekdu-san and other territory deep into the Korean Peninsula are historically Chinese. The issues include confusion about the ownership of the mountain, whether it should be called by its Chinese or Korean names, the exact location of the border in that area and the true historical inhabitants of much of the Korean Peninsula.
Controversy over these points seems likely to grow based on newly declassified documents and a recent statement from the US State Department obtained by Korean Confidential. They indicate the American government does not necessarily support the territorial claims of its South Korean ally.
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