De la Perouse named Dagelet Island after the astronomer who discovered it. The name was thereafter consistently used in Western cartographic materials until shortly after world war II. The expedition team spotted the present Ullûngdo the East Sea and some of its inhabitants on May 27, 1787. The crew wanted to set foot on the new found island, with the good intention of making friends with the locals. They, however ran away at the sight of the foreign vessels. Because of the fierce winds, they didn't succeed at going ashore,.
The La Perouse wrore: "I endeavored to approach it but it was exactly
in the wind's eye; fortunately it changed during the night and at daybreak I
sailed to examine this island, I was very desirous of finding an anchorage to
persuade these people by means of gifts that we were not their enemies, but
fairly strong currents were bearing us away from the land."