Dokdo Volunteer Garrison to the exercise of national jurisdiction over Liancourt Rocks and the protection of the nation's territory." The Dokdo Volunteer Garrison showed that the territorial right of Liancourt Rocks belongs to Korea through effective control of the islands. They showed great activity symbolically and mentally, meaning that they raised patriotism and cultivated the self-consciousness of the nation. Dokdo Volunteer Garrison Dokdo Volunteer Garrison (Korean: 독도의용수비대) was a South Korean paramilitary outpost on the islands of Liancourt Rocks, which are called "Dokdo" in Korean; South Korea and Japan each claim sovereignty over them. South Korea maintained the garrison from 1953 to 1956.
Liancourt Rocks dispute of the islands. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary expressed concern that military tensions would escalate. In July 2008, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) changed the name of the country to which Liancourt Rocks belong from South Korea to Undesignated Sovereignty and also changed the name from "Dokdo" to "Liancourt Rocks". Responding to this change, Gonzalo R. Gallegos, Acting Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. State Department, said on July 28, 2008 that the United States has long maintained a policy stance of neutrality on the islets, and that the latest change does not represent any policy change within the U.S.