The number of visitors to Dokdo, a rocky island situated off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, is experiencing a rapid surge.

According to the Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) government, the number of visitors to Dokdo has increased by over 20 percent during the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2007, with about 100,000 visitors touring the island this year alone as of the end of September.

This increase comes partly because the local government removed the daily limit of 70 visitors to the island in Mar. 2005.

As a result, the number reached a record high of close to 100,900 per day last year, which is highly likely to be reset this year.

Officials also contribute the rise to the mounting public interest in Dokdo after Japan again claimed territorial rights over the island this past summer.

By Han Aran
Korea.net Staff Writer

SOURCE : Korea.net