Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Seoul sees Tokyo's Dokdo claim as obstacle in bilateral relations
By Jun Ji-hye
Japan’s territorial claim to Korea’s Dokdo Islets is an obstacle that disrupts efforts by the two countries to foster future-oriented relations, according to the 2014 Defense White Paper.
The latest biennially produced document, released Tuesday by the Ministry of National Defense, stated that Seoul will “strictly cope with Tokyo’s outrageous assertions” over its easternmost islets.
Such a strong expression apparently reflects awareness that provocative moves by the Shinzo Abe administration concerning Dokdo have reached a serious level.
Two years ago, the book only described Tokyo’s claims as an element that Seoul “needs to overcome.”
The latest in a series of provocative moves by Japan was the creation of a video clip renewing its claims to Dokdo. Its state agency in charge of territorial issues posted the 17-minute clip on YouTube on Dec. 24 to argue that Japanese people fished in waters surrounding Dokdo in the past.
The results of Tokyo’s state approval process for middle-school textbooks, expected to be announced in late March or early April, will be another obstacle in bilateral relations as such books are designed to reinforce its Dokdo claims.
The white paper said, “Some Japanese politicians’ regressive perception of history and their unjust territorial claims have become an obstacle to building future-oriented relations between the two sides.”
Although the book did not specifically mention Abe, it heightened the level of criticism, compared to the 2012 paper, by stating “Japanese politicians.”
The book also carried a map showing the territory of the Republic of Korea, including the rocky islets, with photos showing the Air Force conducting patrol missions over them.
South Korea has effectively controlled Dokdo with a small police detachment since its liberation from Japan in 1945. Japan has claimed that the islets, which lie closer to Korea, are part of its territory, although it never established sovereignty.
Seoul has carried out military exercises, involving the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army, designed to defend the islets in case of an outside invasion, twice a year since 1986 with the latest on Nov. 24. Japan has expressed displeasure each time.
In response to protests from Tokyo about the drill, Seoul has said that such claims amount to a denial of Korea’s independence from its 1910-45 colonial rule, because Seoul reclaimed sovereignty over all its territories ― including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula ― upon its independence.
Meanwhile, the white paper added that South Korea will constantly cooperate with Japan in handling major security issues such as nuclear threats from North Korea.
In a separate section, the document states that the North has attained the “considerable” level of technology necessary to miniaturize a nuclear warhead, indicating that Pyongyang is ever closer to developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the United States.
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