A police officer standing guard on the nation's easternmost islets of Dokdo has gone missing, police said Tuesday.
The 30-year-old, identified only as Lee, was on sentry duty early Tuesday morning but was later found to have gone missing. A search operation is now ongoing with police suspecting that he might have fallen into the sea after losing his footing.
Dokdo, which lies just 90 kilometers east of South Korea's Ulleung Island in the East Sea, has frequently been the focus of international media coverage, due to Japan's territorial claim over the rocky islets.
Since 1954, the government has stationed a small contingent on Dokdo as a symbol of its ownership of the rocky islets. Currently, about 50 police officers who belong to the Ulleung Island Security Force are stationed on Dokdo for security purposes.