SEOUL — South Korea issued a strong protest against Japan's latest territorial claims to the Dokdo islets, following the Japanese government's adoption of a defense white paper earlier today. The white paper controversially included claims to the islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, reiterating disputes over their sovereignty.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The South Korean government, through its foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk, voiced vehement opposition to Japan's assertions, which were described as unfounded historically, geographically, and legally. Lim stated, "We strongly protest against Japan's unjust claims to Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory historically, geographically, and by international law, and we urge Japan to retract the statement immediately." South Korea, which maintains effective control over the islets with a stationed police detachment, summoned a defense attaché from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to express its grievances and demand an immediate retraction and prevention of future claims. The ongoing dispute over Dokdo continues to strain relations between Seoul and Tokyo, with South Korea dismissing Japan’s previous protest over a maritime survey conducted around the islets last month.