Opposition leader tables bill to officially recognize Oct. 25 as 'Dokdo Day'
An undated file photo of Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo / Courtesy of Daezer Shipping
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), proposed a bill designating "Dokdo Day" as a legally recognized anniversary to bolster Korea's sovereignty over the easternmost islets that Japan has long laid claim to.
The revision to the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo calls for giving legal recognition to Dokdo Day, which falls on Oct. 25, while requiring the maritime affairs minister to add plans to strengthen the country's sovereignty over Dokdo in a regular report on the use of the islets and its surrounding waters.
"Dokdo is the issue all our people are currently interested in ... We need to institutionalize the Day of Dokdo and strengthen people's interest and the country's use of Dokdo," the chairman of the DPK told reporters after a meeting with businesspeople.
The Dokdo issue has resurfaced following Japanese news outlets' reports that President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed the matter during their summit in Tokyo last week. Yoon's office denied the report. (Yonhap)