South Korea rebukes Japan's territorial claim over Dokdo islets

Seoul has condemned Tokyo's latest claim over South Korea's Dokdo islets.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Oh Soo Young has details.

Seoul has called on Japan to immediately retract the territorial claim in Tokyo's latest Defense White Paper over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.

On Tuesday, South Korea's foreign ministry released a statement, voicing strong objections to Tokyo's repeated territorial claim issued in its annual report.

"We once again make it clear that any claim by the Japanese government over Dokdo, an integral part of South Korean territory, has no impact whatsoever on our sovereignty. We will respond firmly to any provocation by Japan regarding Dokdo."

Published on Monday, the first defense white paper issued under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba outlines Tokyo's view of the regional security environment.

And once again, it refers to Dokdo as Takeshima, claiming sovereignty over the Korean territory, and marking the waters surrounding Dokdo with blue lines on several maps.

Japanese media also revealed on Tuesday that Tokyo's Ministry of Defense for the first time distributed its white paper adapted for children to elementary schools.

The booklet labels Dokdo as "Takeshima" and the East Sea as the "Sea of Japan."

"Seoul's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Japanese Embassy's minister for political affairs to formally lodge its complaint against Tokyo's latest move."

South Korea rejects Japan's ungrounded claims, citing historical records dating back to the 6th century.

While Korea was subjugated to Japan's imperial rule before and during World War Two, following Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, Dokdo has been under Seoul's effective control with the South Korean Coast Guard playing a key role in its defence and management meeting the legal basis for its sovereignty under international law.

As mentioned in Japan's latest document, the bilateral dispute remains unresolved.

At the same time, amid rising geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, Japan for the second year in a row, named South Korea as "an important neighboring country and partner" in addressing shared global challenges.

The white paper also states that close coordination between South Korea, Japan, and the United States is essential in addressing regional security concerns.

It lists North Korea's advancing missile capabilities, China's regional pressure, and growing Russia–North Korea cooperation as key threats.

While Seoul-Tokyo ties spiraled in 2019 due to disputes over historical issues related to Japan's wartime colonisation of Korea, the two governments resumed top-level diplomacy, trade and security cooperation in 2023.

Leaders on both sides have committed to pursuing cooperation that looks to the future while separately addressing bilateral sticking points.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.