Seoul lodges protest with Japan's embassy over claim to Dokdo in white paper

The Defense Ministry summoned the military attaché of the Japanese Embassy to protest the claim to the Dokdo islets, while the Foreign Ministry issued a statement.

Yohei Takeda, an officer at the Japanese Self-Defense Forces stationed in Korea, walks into the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

South Korea’s Defense Ministry summoned the Japanese embassy's military attaché in Korea on Friday to protest the Japanese government’s renewed territorial claims to the easternmost Dokdo islets in its latest defense white paper released earlier in the day.

The Defense Ministry announced that Lee Seung-beom, director of international policy at the ministry, summoned Yohei Takeda, an officer of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces stationed in Korea, and urged an immediate correction and future cessation of such claims.

In its defense white paper, the Japanese government reiterated its claim to Dokdo, which it calls Takeshima, defining the islets as its “inherent territory” for the 20th consecutive year since 2005.

However, Tokyo also reaffirmed its policy of strengthening bilateral cooperation with South Korea, describing it as a cooperative partner and an important neighbor for the first time, reflecting the improvement in relations between Seoul and Tokyo under the Yoon Suk Yeol government.

The Japanese government highlighted the need to fundamentally strengthen its defense forces, citing security threats from North Korea, China and Russia in the paper as well.

In addition to the Defense Ministry’s summons of the Japanese military attaché, the Foreign Ministry also released a commentary by a spokesperson on the defense white paper protesting the territorial claims.

“The government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) strongly protests against the Japanese government’s repeated inclusion of unjust sovereignty claims over Dokdo, which is clearly an integral part of the ROK territory historically, geographically and under international law,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk in the commentary. “The ROK government urges the Japanese government to immediately withdraw such claims. The ROK government makes it clear once again that any claims by the Japanese government over Dokdo, an integral part of the ROK territory, do not and will not have any impact on the ROK’s sovereignty over it and that the ROK government will respond firmly to any provocation by Japan over Dokdo.”

Lim further urged the Japanese government to be “clearly aware that repeatedly making unjust claims over Dokdo is in no way conducive to efforts to establish a future-oriented relationship” between the two countries.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]