Korea protests Japan's continued Dokdo claim in annual policy report

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The government lodged a formal protest with Japan, Friday, against a repeated assertion that Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea, belong to Tokyo.

Seoul is taking issue with the first annual report on foreign policy and activities under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The foreign ministry called in Naoki Kumagai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to deliver the message, shortly after reports that the claim was included in Tokyo's 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook.

Korea has a firm and clear position that Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law, as it has long maintained effective control with the permanent stationing of security personnel there.

Tokyo's sovereignty claim is a legacy of its imperialistic past, Seoul officials say.

The Bluebook stated that Korea has continued an "illegal occupation" of the area with no legal basis.

The expression "illegal occupation" has been used in the Bluebook since 2018. (Yonhap)