Korean efforts to restore the historically proper name East Sea have recently begun to bear fruit. The world's prominent mapmakers are paying attention to the facts and evidence. For example, Rand McNally, one of the largest mapmakers in the United States, adopted in 197 a policy of concurrent use of both names, East Sea and Sea of Japan. This practice was followed by "Microsoft Encarta 97 World Atlas," the ninth edition of "Regions 2000 Geography: Realms, Regions and Concepts," as well as maps published by the National Geographic Society. A wide range of publications and media organizations in many countries uses either the East Sea, exclusively, or concurrently with the Sea of Japan including the "Lonely Plannet," "The Times," "Atlas of the World," "Enclyclopedia Britannica," "Financial Times," "The Economist," "Le Figaro," "Les Echos," and "Liberation."

The concurrent use of both names, East Sea and Sea of Japan, by internationally respected mapmakers is strong evidence that they fully accept Korea's claims and have decided to endorse the resolutions of the IHO and the United Nations as well as the fundamental principles of international standardization, which all support concurrent use. In some cases, media outlets, magazine companies, and UN organizations have left the disputed body of water unidentified. In this regard, it is notable that the IHO left the sea are in question blank and unidentified in the final draft of the fourth edition of "Names of Limits of Oceans and Seas" circulated in August 2002. Though the decision was suspended later for further revision, the initial decision implies that an exclusive use of the name Sea of Japan could no longer bear the weight of internationally established standard practices. In the same vein, at the Eighth UNCSGN, convened in Berlin in August 2002, the chairman stated that individual countries cannot impose specific names on the international community, and standardization can only be promoted when consensus exist.

Therefore, the most logical and reasonable solution would be the concurrent use of both names, East Sea and Sea of Japan, as the international standardization rules require, until the countries involved in the dispute reach agreement on a name.