S.Korea 'strongly protests' Japan's renewed claim to disputed islets

SEOUL: South Korea lodged a strong protest against Japan on Tuesday over Tokyo's renewed territorial claim to Dokdo, a set of disputed islets in the Sea of Japan between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago.

The claim, strongly disputed by South Korea that has long maintained effective control of Dokdo, which are known as Takeshima in Japan, with the permanent stationing of security personnel there, was included in the 2023 Diplomatic Bluebook that was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The Bluebook stated that South Korea has continued an "illegal occupation" of the area with no legal basis.

Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for South Korea's foreign ministry, said Seoul "strongly protests Japan's repeated unjust claims of sovereignty over Dokdo, which is of our sovereign territory historically, geographically and under international law".

He added Japan should "clearly recognise" that repeating such claims does not contribute to the building of a future-oriented relationship between Seoul and Tokyo.

The Ministry called in Naoki Kumagai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to deliver a formal protest message.

While South Korea controls the islets, its sovereignty over them is contested by Japan, while North Korea also claims the territory.