It is theorized that Daecheongdo was first inhabited during the
Neolithic Age (9500–4500 BC). There are definite signs of habitation from the
Goryeo period (918–1392), during which time the island was used as a place of exile for criminals. The Chinese Emperor
Toghon Temür (1320–1370) was exiled there by the Mongol
Yuan dynasty for conspiring in a plot arranged by his stepmother. Legend says he arrived at the island with a court and 100 relatives, then built a palace. The island was generally uninhabited until 1793, when King Jeongjo, of the
Joseon period (1392–1897), imported farmers to cultivate the land. During the
Japanese occupation of Korea between 1910 and 1945, there were as many as 10,000 people living there and a large port. The 1953
Korean Armistice Agreement which ended the
Korean War specified that the
five islands including Daecheong Island would remain under
U.N. and South Korea control. This agreement was signed by both North Korea and the
United Nations Command. Since then, it has served as a maritime
demarcation between North and South Korea in the
Yellow Sea (also called "West Sea"). Today, the island has approximately 1,500 people who sustain a living from
tourism and fishing.
2009 battle On 10 November 2009, the waters near the island were the scene of a skirmish between the South Korean and North Korean navies. A patrol boat from North Korea was seriously damaged while the navy of South Korea sustained no
casualties. ==References==