In a pamphlet published by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Japan asserts that “the most frequently used method of naming sea areas separated from an ocean is to use the name of a major archipelagic arc or a peninsula that separates the sea area in question from the ocean.” It cites as examples the “Sea of Japan”, the “Andaman Sea”, the “Gulf of California” and the “Irish Sea”.
  However, there are a number of other cases where sea areas were named in a different manner from that described by Japan.  For example, the sea separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kuril Islands is called the “Sea of Okhotsk” after the name of a Russian City, not the Kuril Islands.  The sea northwest of the Aleutian Islands in the Northern Pacific is referred to as the “Bering Sea”, instead of the “Aleutian Sea”, after the name of an explorer Bering. The sea separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the British Isles is referred to as the “North Sea”, not the “Sea of England”, signifying that it is located north of the European continent.
  There are obviously various ways to determine the names of seas.  Examples include its location from a continent or a country, a geographical feature such as the country or city closest to the sea, the name of the person who discovered the sea, or the color or other characteristics of the sea.  In light of this, it is not only inappropriate but also misleading to claim that one method for naming is the general practice when in fact there are a variety of practices.
  According to Dr. David Munro, a British scholar of toponymy, geographical names are an expression of perceptions of a place, a means of communication about that place and a way of referencing.  Since geographical names are a part of the lives of the people who use them, it is common practice to give the highest priority to the names used by local people when deciding on a name for international use.
  “East Sea” is the name that has been used by 75 million South and North Korean people for over 2,000 years.  Its historical legitimacy is demonstrated by various legends, tales, songs, and historical records that include the name Donghae (East Sea).  “East Sea” is not a denomination that merely implies its location but a name firmly rooted in history.  Yet, rather than using “Sea of Japan” for themselves first, the Japanese admit that they adopted the name after 1850 as it became more widely used in the West.
  Despite the fact that the name “Sea of Korea” can be found on several old Western maps, the Korean government is asking that “East Sea” be used and recognized in the international community since it is the name that has been with the indigenous people of the Korean Peninsula throughout its long history.