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Last remaining Dokdo resident dies at 88

Published: 10 Mar. 2026, 19:09

The Dokdo islets are seen in this picture taken on Aug. 12, 2012. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The last remaining resident of Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo has died, leaving the outcroppings without a registered dweller, officials said on Tuesday.

Kim Shin-yeol, who had lived with her husband on Dokdo since the late 1960s, died at the age of 88 on March 2, according to the Ulleung County government. Her husband died at the age of 79 in October 2018.

The couple made a living from fishing and became symbols of Korea's control of the islets, which Japan has consistently laid claim to. During elections, they voted via absentee ballots.

Kim had largely been away from Dokdo since a typhoon damaged her house in 2020. As her health deteriorated, she mostly stayed with her daughter until her death.

Officers of the Dokdo Security Police and county employees have been stationed on the islets, but none are registered residents.

A county official said the local government will not take immediate steps to fill the vacuum out of respect for the bereaved family but will consult with the North Gyeongsang provincial government in the future regarding the next steps.

Yonhap