South Korea has issued a formal diplomatic protest against Japan’s ongoing territorial assertions over the disputed islets known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul released an official statement on Sunday expressing strong opposition to Japan’s recurrent claims regarding the rocky outcroppings situated midway between the two nations.
The diplomatic communiqué specifically referenced the ‘Takeshima Day’ event organized by Japan’s Shimane Prefecture, which has conducted annual sovereignty assertions since establishing the commemorative day in 2005. South Korean authorities characterized these claims as historically unfounded and legally unjustifiable.
The ministry demanded the immediate cessation of these territorial assertions and the abolition of the controversial event. Officials emphasized that Dokdo constitutes an inseparable part of South Korean territory through historical precedent, geographical reality, and international legal frameworks.
Seoul further urged the Japanese government to confront historical realities with appropriate humility, particularly referencing the period of Japanese colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. South Korea restored administrative control over the islets following liberation from Japanese occupation and maintains an active police presence on the territory.
Many South Koreans perceive Japan’s continued territorial claims as representing a denial of historical injustices during the colonial era, making the islets a persistent symbol of historical tensions between the two East Asian nations.