By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Defense White Paper 2008, which will be published later this year, will include more phrases reaffirming South Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo in the East Sea than that published two years ago, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.
The decision came amid growing public anger here over Japan's renewed territorial claim to the islets. It also came on the heels of a U.S. state agency's decision to rename the islets in a neutral fashion seemingly influenced by Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, meanwhile, created a task force with the aim of "rectifying" Washington's new position on Dokdo.
The foreign ministry said it would take disciplinary measures against officials of the Korean Embassy in Washington if any mishandling of the issue is found. The group is to meet twice a week.
The Board on Geographical Naming under the U.S. Geological Survey revised its description of Dokdo as an area of ``undesignated sovereignty.'' The name Dokdo used to be listed as the first alternative name for the rocky islets. The agency's Web site now lists the Japanese ``Takeshima'' first.
``The 2006 Defense White Paper has three phrases reaffirming our ownership of Dokdo, but this year's paper will have more than that,'' a senior policymaker at the ministry said, asking not to be named. ``Japan has referred to the Dokdo islets as their own territory in their defense white papers, so we've felt the need to reaffirm the islets are under our jurisdiction and territory that our forces must protect.''
In the 2006 paper, the Dokdo islets are described as part of our territories under jurisdiction. The ROK (Republic of Korea) Armed Forces ``have conducted vigilant patrol activities by using naval vessels, submarines and aircraft on the seas under their jurisdiction including the five major northwestern islands, Mara-do, Ulleung-do and Dokdo islands,'' the paper states in a chapter on Seoul's military readiness posture against infiltrations and local provocations.
The official also said the ministry would consider publishing the defense paper annually to help promote South Korea's firm defense posture on Dokdo. Currently, South Korea publishes the Defense White Paper every two years, while Japan publishes its defense paper annually.
Seoul has stationed a 50-strong police contingent on Dokdo since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to reinforce its ownership. The area surrounding the islets is believed to be rich in fishing and undersea resources.