Sohn criticizes Lee’s silence over Dokdo

By Lee Tae-hoon

Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), lashed out at President Lee Myung-bak for keeping mum about Japan’s provocation over Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.

“President Lee emphasized more on the birth of a nation than the restoration of independence on his first Liberation Day speech (in 2008),” he said.

“In 2010, he deduced that Japan repented for its colonial rule of Korea, while keeping silence over Japanese textbooks that describe Dokdo as Takeshima.”

The Japanese refer to Dokdo as Takeshima. Earlier this year, Japan approved middle school textbooks that describe Dokdo as Japan’s islets illicitly occupied by Korea.

Koreans object to Japan’s territorial claims over Dokdo as they believe the rocky islets were the first Korean territory that Japan illegally seized in 1905 on the false assumption that it was terra nullius, or “land belonging to no one.”

The remarks came as Lee’s Liberation Day speech on Monday predominantly focused on the economy at a time when diplomatic tensions between Korea and Japan are rising over Tokyo’s repeated sovereignty claims over Dokdo.

“It would be safe to say that (Lee’s reluctance to address the Dokdo issue) led to Japan’s imprudent behaviors over Dokdo,” Rep. Sohn said.

“I strongly urge President Lee to fix his flawed economic and diplomatic policies.”

President Lee did not touch on sensitive issues with Tokyo, such as Dokdo and Japan’s drive to name the body of water it shares with Korea the “Sea of Japan.”

“The government has consistently striven to maintain mature relations with Japan,” Lee said in the speech.

“For the sake of the future of the relationship, Korea will not be bound by the unfortunate past.”

The Lee administration has maintained a so-called “silent diplomacy” over Dokdo as Korea is effectively controlling the rocky islets with a small police detachment stationed there.

It insists that military deployment on the islets or proactive diplomacy may be construed as admitting the islets are a disputed area.

Nevertheless, there have been growing calls both from the ruling and opposition parties to take a more proactive approach on the thorny issue.

On Sunday, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the governing Grand National Party, called on the government to dispatch a Marine unit to beef up the country’s sovereignty of Dokdo.