South Korea Urges Japan To Revoke Its Claims On Dokdo Island

Dokdo Island/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/Rachouette

JAKARTA - South Korea strongly protested after Japan reaffirmed its territorial claim to Dokdo Island in the East Sea and urged Tokyo to withdraw the unjust claim.

"We strongly protest Japan's unfair claims against Dokdo, which historically, geographically, and international law are clearly our territory, and we urge Japan to immediately withdraw the statement," said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk. from Yonhap OANA, Friday, July 12.

The protests were raised when on the same day the Japanese government adopted an official 2024 defense report, reaffirming "Takeshima" argument - the Japanese name for Dokdo - was part of its territory.

The report also mentions the issue of territorial claims to the island "still unresolved".

Dokdo has long been a source of repeated tension between the two neighboring countries, as Tokyo continues to claim sovereignty in its policy papers, public statements, and school textbooks.

According to Lim, South Korea will take firm action against any action Japan has taken regarding Dokdo and Tokyo's claims to the small islands have not changed much about the fact that the island belongs to Seoul.

Lim said Japan should also realize that its claims to Dokdo do not help efforts to advance bilateral relations in a future-oriented manner.