SEOUL – South Korea’s foreign ministry lodged a strong protest against Japan on Tuesday, following the inclusion of South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in a tsunami advisory by the Japan Meteorological Agency. This action was prompted by an earthquake that struck Japan, leading to tsunami advisories being issued for several regions, including Dokdo.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Japan Meteorological Agency’s website displayed a map where the islets of Dokdo were marked in yellow, alongside other areas on Japan’s west coast. This indicated that tsunami advisories were in effect for these regions. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, hit the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year’s Day. It resulted in several casualties and tsunamis along South Korea’s east coast, although no South Korean casualties have been reported so far.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk, in a briefing, stated, “Our government has strongly protested against Japan through a diplomatic channel and demanded corrective measures.” He affirmed South Korea’s stance to continue responding firmly to what he termed as Japan’s unreasonable claims over Dokdo, emphasizing that there is “no territorial dispute” regarding the islets.
Lim Soo-suk reinforced the position that “Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law.” Despite the strong protest, the ministry did not summon any Japanese officials to formally lodge the complaint, as disclosed by a ministry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Dokdo has long been a contentious issue in the relationship between South Korea and Japan. The islets, situated closer to South Korea in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, are currently under South Korean control, with a small police detachment stationed there.