Liancourt Rocks dispute Japan. In 1954, Japan proposed a reference to the International Court of Justice, which South Korea rejected, believing that the Liancourt Rocks are irrefutably South Korean territories, and thus should not be dealt through diplomatic negotiations or judicial settlement between South Korea and Japan. There are conflicting interpretations about the historical state of sovereignty over the islets. Korean claims are partly based on references to a Korean island called "Usan-do" in various historical records, maps and encyclopedias such as the "Samguk Sagi", "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty", "Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam" (), and "Dongguk munheon bigo" (). According to the Korean
Territorial disputes of Japan Korean kingdoms are the Liancourt Rocks, while the Japanese attribute these mentions to other islands such as Jukdo or Ulleungdo and instead point to records indicating Japanese fishing activity around the islands from, at the latest, 1667. North Korea also claims the Liancourt Rocks, as both Korean nations claim the entirety of the Korean Peninsula and other historically Korean territory. North Korea has used the issue as a means of maintaining tension between Japan and South Korea and improving their own relations with South Korea. Territorial disputes of Japan Japan is currently engaged in several territorial disputes with nearby countries,