Korea 'strongly' protests Japan's renewed claim to Dokdo, urges 'immediate' withdrawal

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a “strong” protest on Tuesday after Japan again laid a territorial claim to Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets, in its latest defense white paper and urged its withdrawal.

The ministry summoned Kazuo Tsuchiya, the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Japan in Korea, to deliver its formal complaints.

“The government strongly protests Japan’s repeated, unjust territorial claim to Dokdo and calls for its immediate withdrawal,” Park Doo-soon, the ministry’s spokesperson, said in a regular briefing, stressing that the islets are “indisputably” Korean territory under “history, geography and international law.”

“The government reaffirms that Japan’s unjust claim has no impact whatsoever on our sovereignty over Dokdo and states that we will respond resolutely to any provocations by Japan regarding the islets,” he added.

Kim Hak-jo, the director general for international policy at the Defense Ministry, also called in Takeshi Nagayoshi, a military attaché at the embassy, to lodge a complaint and demand an immediate withdrawal of Japan’s claims to the islets.

While restating Japan’s claim over Dokdo, the white paper also stressed the importance of bilateral relations with Korea, describing it as a partner and an important neighbor in addressing shared global challenges.

Tokyo has been working to deepen cooperation with Seoul as Pyongyang’s growing military and economic ties with Moscow and Beijing pose an increasing threat to the region.

The Japanese government released the annual white paper following a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.

Dokdo has long been a recurring source of friction between the two neighbors, as Japan continues to claim sovereignty in its policy papers, public statements and school textbooks.

Korea maintains a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.

Yonhap