South Korea on Friday expressed "deep regrets" over Japan's latest claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its annual defense document, saying the Japanese position won't be
helpful to bilateral relations.
Japan approved its 2010 defense white paper earlier in the day, stating, "The territorial issue of Takeshima, historically the territory of Japan, remains unresolved." The paper has used the same language on Dokdo, located between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, since 2005, referring to the islets by the Japanese name.
"We demand Japan's immediate withdrawal" of its territorial claim to Dokdo, a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity. "We would once again like to clarify that Dokdo is clearly our territory, in terms of history, geography and international law. We will sternly respond to any attempt to infringe upon our sovereignty over Dokdo."
This is the first defense paper under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan, which has often stressed the importance of "forward-looking" relations with South Korea. The latest claim comes about a month after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized for his country's annexation of Korea 100 years ago.
President Lee Myung-bak regarded the apology as "a step forward" for its acknowledgement of the forced nature of the colonization. Critics, however, noted that Japan failed to admit to the illegality of the annexation. Kan also didn't mention the Dokdo territorial issue.
The rocky islets have been a source of diplomatic rows between South Korea and Japan. Textbooks and government documents in Japan have frequently laid claims to Dokdo. Japanese envoys have been summoned to the foreign ministry in Seoul as South Korea lodged formal protests.
South Korea has stationed its Coast Guard on Dokdo since 1954 as a symbol of its ownership. Dokdo lies 90 kilometers east of South Korea's Ulleung Island in the East Sea, while the closest Japanese territory of Oki Island in Shimane Prefecture is more than 160 kilometers away.