What sparked the backlash
Starlink’s interactive map has ignited a backlash in South Korea after the company listed the country’s eastern islets as Liancourt Rocks rather than Dokdo. The label appeared just days after the satellite broadband service opened sales in the Korean market, turning attention from speeds and prices to a long running naming dispute.
On the company’s availability map, searches for both Dokdo and Liancourt Rocks return the same result, the French derived name, and selecting either does not produce the blue marker the site uses to indicate serviceable places. The issue surfaced the same week Starlink introduced two home internet plans priced at 64,000 won and 87,000 won per month, a launch that has been overshadowed by the mapping choice.
Academics and civic groups argue that using Liancourt Rocks misrepresents a place administered by South Korea and widely known to Korean users as Dokdo. Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at the School of Creative Convergence Studies at Sungshin Women’s University who has campaigned on global naming issues, said the label ignores established usage and local history. He said he will formally ask Starlink to correct the wording and present evidence to support the request.
Explaining his position, Seo stressed that the islets should not be framed as interchangeable names on a menu.
“Dokdo is Dokdo, it is a proper noun,” Seo said. “Long before that French whaling ship ever spotted it, the islets were called Dokdo. It is not Takeshima, nor Liancourt Rocks.”
Why the name matters in Korea
The naming of Dokdo carries emotional and historical weight in South Korea. The government has maintained administrative control since the mid 1950s. A small police detachment and resident caretakers live there, and the islets fall under Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang Province. For many Koreans, Dokdo evokes memories of Japanese colonial rule and a long effort to assert sovereignty in the East Sea.
Dokdo, Takeshima, Liancourt Rocks: three names, one location
Dokdo is the Korean name. Japan uses Takeshima. Liancourt Rocks is a 19th century chart label that came from a French whaling vessel that sailed near the outcrops in 1849. Many global products adopt Liancourt Rocks in English language views in an attempt to avoid taking a side, then localize the name for users in Korea or Japan.
The islets sit roughly midway between Korea’s east coast and Japan’s Oki Islands, in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Their steep volcanic cliffs hold a lighthouse, helipad, small docks and shelters built by South Korea over decades to support public servants and maintenance crews. The land area is tiny, but the rocks sit in rich fishing grounds and waters that could hold gas hydrates.
Labels on maps do not decide sovereignty, yet they shape narratives, affect how students learn geography and influence media coverage. A single global label can be perceived as an endorsement of a claim. That explains why a product setting on a broadband availability page can touch a nerve.
How tech platforms handle disputed place names
Digital mapping teams balance consistency, legal compliance and user expectations across dozens of markets. A standard practice is to display one name on the default global map, then show different names based on the device language or the user’s location. Another approach is to display multiple names together, sometimes separated by slashes, with a note that the area is disputed.
Over the past decade, large platforms have faced repeated complaints over these choices. In 2012, after pressure from both sides of the Dokdo and Takeshima dispute, one major map service adopted Liancourt Rocks on its English site while showing Dokdo to users in Korea and Takeshima to users in Japan. The company said its update followed a global naming policy and was not made at the request of any government.
Campaigners tracking the issue reported this year that the Liancourt Rocks label appears across dozens of country versions of a leading map service, even as the service shows localized names inside Korea and Japan. Starlink’s use of Liancourt Rocks suggests a single global label at launch. Its search box recognizes Dokdo and Takeshima as alternate terms, but the page does not place a service marker on the islets.
Starlink’s arrival in Korea and why maps matter to its business
Starlink is expanding across Asia and the Pacific. In Korea, the company opened orders for residential service with monthly prices at 64,000 won and 87,000 won, signaling a push to reach rural homes, second houses on islands and businesses that lack reliable fiber. The company’s website and coverage map serve as the first stop for prospective customers.
An availability map does more than plot satellites. It sets expectations for who can sign up and where equipment will ship. When a map appears to assign a disputed label, users read that as a corporate stance. For a market that prizes sensitivity to national identity, the risk is reputational as much as technical.
The missing blue marker on the Dokdo search result could reflect many things, from product logic that filters out uninhabited locations to a lack of delivery addresses. It might also be a sign that the site’s service grid has not been tuned for very small offshore areas. None of those possibilities resolves the underlying complaint, which centers on the choice of name.
A history of mapping flare ups over Dokdo and beyond
Digital maps have sparked controversy before. A border error once contributed to a military incursion between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. A prankster inserted crude imagery into a world famous platform, forcing a suspension of community edits. Labels for favelas in Rio and place names in Tibet have set off protests. Mapmakers carry the burden of precision and the baggage of geopolitics.
Dokdo and Takeshima appear often on that list of flashpoints. South Korean officials have previously protested the use of Liancourt Rocks on English language maps and insisted that Dokdo is Korean territory. In turn, Japanese authorities maintain their claim and encourage the use of Takeshima. Many global services try to reduce friction by showing different names to different audiences or by listing multiple names in small type.
These decisions are rarely static. Companies revise labels when governments change policies, when new evidence emerges or when users flag problems. The process can be messy. A correction that satisfies one audience can frustrate another. That is why teams now pair naming policies with public feedback tools and regional expert reviews.
Reactions, calls for correction, and what could change next
In the wake of the latest dispute, Seo said he will send a formal request to Starlink, with documentation on established usage and South Korea’s administration of the islets. Korean users are sharing screenshots of the availability page and asking the company to align the label with what they see inside Korea on other services.
There are several ways Starlink could address the issue. It could localize the label to Dokdo for users in Korea, keep Takeshima for users in Japan, and retain Liancourt Rocks in the default English view. It might also add an explanatory line in search results noting alternate names. Many services supplement text labels with a region outline and a neutral disclaimer.
The company faces a familiar calculus for global products. A rapid, transparent adjustment can reduce backlash while preserving neutrality in other markets. Deeper engagement with local experts helps prevent surprises in future launches and builds trust with customers who rely on their maps to make purchase decisions.
What to Know
- Starlink’s availability map lists the islets as Liancourt Rocks shortly after launching service in South Korea.
- Searching Dokdo or Liancourt Rocks returns the same label, and no service marker appears on the islets.
- Two residential plans launched in Korea at 64,000 won and 87,000 won per month.
- Professor Seo Kyung-duk criticized the label and plans to request a correction with supporting evidence.
- South Korea administers the islets and maintains facilities; Japan also claims them and uses a different name.
- Major map services have previously used Liancourt Rocks on English interfaces while localizing names for Korean and Japanese users.
- Digital platforms often manage disputed naming by showing multiple names or by localizing display labels.
- Potential next steps include a localized label for Korean users or a multi name presentation that recognizes Dokdo, Takeshima and Liancourt Rocks.
