hankyoreh

Seoul

The Japanese government announced on July 14 that it had defined the Dokdo islets as its territory in educational guidebooks for middle school history teachers. In response, the South Korean government remarked it would take measures to counter Japan’s claim to the controversial islets. Ties between the two nations are expected to become tense as a result of the dispute.

“It is necessary to deepen the understanding of Japanese territory, including the northern territory, as there is a gap between Japan’s and Korea’s positions on Takeshima,” the guidebook says. Takeshima is the Japanese name for the islets.

Though the guidebook does not specifically describe Dokdo as Japanese territory, it sets up a comparison between the islets and four islands off the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, over which the nation has been involved in a territorial dispute with Russia. The comparison seems to say that the islets as being illegally occupied by Korea. This is the first time Tokyo has included its claim to Dokdo in guidebooks for teachers.

In response to Japan’s announcement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan called a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Toshinori Shigeie. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul-hyun visited the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo to protest the distortion and urge the Japanese government to correct it.

Seoul then recalled Kwon to South Korea and announced a plan to strengthen South Korea’s occupation of Dokdo.

President Lee Myung-bak expressed his “deep disappointment” and “regret” that Japan had defined Dokdo as its territory in light of the bilateral agreement between the leaders of the two countries to look straight at the past and establish future-oriented ties, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Dong-kwan.

President Lee instructed the government to take strict and resolute measures, saying that Dokdo cannot be an object of dispute because the issue is not just historical, but relates to issues of territorial sovereignty.

A statement issued by the government urged Tokyo to correct the guidebooks immediately and discontinue its attempts to damage Korea’s claim to Dokdo, saying that the islets are part of Korean territory, historically, geographically, and under international laws. The nation will sternly cope with any attempts to ignore Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo, the statement said.

Related ministries have also begun dealing with the situation. To strengthen South Korea’s claim to Dokdo, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs will pursue environmental preservation and other maritime projects in and around Dokdo, boost facilities on the islets and establish a system for connecting Dokdo with neighboring Ulleung Island.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]