By Park Si-soo
Korea criticized Japan’s foreign policy guidelines describing Dokdo as Japanese territory, Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae said the government expressed its “deepest” regret over Japan’s description of Dokdo as its territory in its latest diplomatic Blue Book.
“We exercise irrefutable sovereignty over Dokdo,” Cho said. “Any claim by Japan to the island is meaningless. Japan should recognize this fact and stop reiterating such reckless claims.”
Although the ministry’s spokesman made a rare direct expression of regret, it stopped short of calling in the Japanese ambassador to protest. A lower ranking diplomat instead visited the ministry.
The guideline, approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, insists Dokdo is Japanese territory and that this position is backed by history and international law.
“Although there is a territorial dispute between Japan and Korea,” the document read, “Japan has maintained its position that Dokdo is Japanese territory by history and international law.”
Such a description of Dokdo has existed in the document since 2006, according to Seoul officials. It summoned a Japanese diplomat immediately after the approval and protested.
Late last month, the Japanese government approved three new high school textbooks portraying Dokdo as part of its territory, heralding Tokyo’s undaunted territorial ambitions.
Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the body of water that divides the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. Korea keeps a police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.