Pyongyang, September 9 (KCNA) -- Prof. and Dr. Jo Hui Sung, 59, director of the History Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences, released an article disclosing the injustice of the designation of the East Sea of Korea as "Japan Sea".

The third installment of the article is as follows:

The designation of "Japan Sea" insisted by Japan is a gross violation of international practice and regulations.

It is universally recognized international practice to designate the seas between continents (peninsulas) and islands by the name of continent (peninsula). The North Sea, Okhotsk Sea, Norwegian Sea, Arabia Sea and other seas are all named after countries on continent or peninsula, cities, relics and rivers according to this principle.

It is quite natural to call the sea east of Korea "Korea Sea" in the light of international practice and history of its name. Japan's assertion on marking the East Sea of Korea as "Japan Sea" is sheer sophism and brigandish logic ignorant of international practice concerning the designation of places.

Japan must know about this. In the past Japan called the sea east of the Japanese archipelago "Japan Sea" or "Great Japan Sea" and the one west of it "Korea Sea". As the sea east of Japan was internationally fixed as "Pacific", making it impossible for it to call it "Japan Sea", Japan began to call the sea in the west that had long been called "Korea Sea" "Japan Sea".

In order to get international "recognition" of it, Japan changed the name of the East Sea of Korea into "Japan Sea" through the International Hydrographic Organization during its illegal occupation of Korea and distributed a number of maps carrying the distorted designation of the sea in different parts of the world.

The designation of the East Sea of Korea as "Japan Sea" should have been corrected long ago as it was a leftover of the Japanese imperialists' brigandish colonial rule over Korea. However, Japan is insisting on calling the East Sea of Korea "Japan Sea". This is criminal distortion of history indicative of the shameless and base nature peculiar to Japan. Lurking behind this is its sinister aim.

Japan is employing such crafty and shameless method to justify its past crimes, grab the East Sea of Korea and Tok Islets and realize its ambition to stage a comeback to Korea.

Japan is seriously mistaken.

Steadfast are the will and principled stand of the Korean people to set right the distorted designation of "Japan Sea", a leftover of the Japanese imperialists' colonial rule over Korea, and defend the East Sea of Korea.