Prof. Kim Mun Gil at Pusan University of Foreign Studies in south Korea made it clear on Dec. 1 that he discovered the document at the history hall at the beginning of this year.

This document was sent by the then governor of Shimane Prefecture to different fishing villages in the prefecture in February of 1838. The keynote of it says that any intruder into Juk Islet (Ullung Islet) is liable to capital punishment (death sentence).

Recorded in the document are the facts that a Japanese fisherman was punished with death for violating the "ordinance banning the sailing" to Juk Islet and Song Islet (Tok Islet) promulgated by Japan's feudal government after in the 1690s An Ryong Bok and other Koreans went to Japan and made it admit that Ullung Islet and Tok Islet belong to Korea and got assurances that Japan would not let Japanese intrude into those places any more.

The Japanese government punished the owner of a fishing boat in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, which was secretly engaged in the fishing operation in the waters off Ullung Islet in violation of the above-said ordinance and sent texts of the document to the heads of the fishing villages in a bid to prevent the recurrence of such case and received even signatures and seals from them.

Still clear on the document are signatures made by the then heads of the fishing villages.

"The results of the interrogation made by the Japanese government of the above-said ship owner and other information confirm that Tok Islet was mentioned in the ordinance", Kim said, adding: This testified to Japan's admission of the fact that the islet belongs to the territory of Korea.

He also recalled that Japanese scholars also agreed with the above-said fact.