S. Korean PM Dismisses Japans Dokdo Claim

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo Sunday dismissed Japan's latest claim to Dokdo, stressing that there can be no dispute on South Korea's sovereignty over the islets in the East Sea.

In a meeting of ruling party lawmakers and government policymakers, the premier said South Korea effectively controls Dokdo and expressed grave concerns over recent claims by Japan to the islets.

"Dokdo belongs to Korea historically, geographically and legally," Yonhap News quoted Han as saying. He added that Japan's latest move to assert sovereignty over Dokdo will adversely affect bilateral relations and peace in Northeast Asia.

Japan is trying to make Dokdo an international issue and therefore, there is a need to approach this matter with a strategic mindset, Han noted.

"The government is in the process of coming up with a way to expand South Korea's rights over the islets," he told Grand National Party lawmakers, asking them to provide parliamentary support.

Japan has been claiming for decades that Dokdo, lying 87 kilometer southeast of Ulleung Island, belongs to it, while South Korea has maintained that the islets have been part of Korea for centuries, long before Tokyo officially staked claim to them in the early 20th century.

Currently, two South Koreans are living on the easternmost islets along with a contingent of 50 South Korean policemen.