South Korea lodges solemn protest to Japan

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South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs protests against Japan’s Foreign Minister’s claim to disputed islands

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea issued a statement in the name of a spokesperson on the 24th, lodges a solemn protest against Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya’s claim to sovereignty over Dokdo (called Takeshima in Japan), and urges the Japanese government to immediately withdraw this claim.

According to reports, Iwaya said in a diplomatic speech at the Japanese Diet on the 24th that Takeshima is “Japan’s inherent territory” in historical facts and international law.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that Dokdo belongs to South Korea’s inherent territory in history, geography and international law. The Japanese government should recognize that repeatedly making unjustified territorial claims against Dokdo is not conducive to building a future-oriented South Korea-Japan relationship, and the South Korean government will resolutely respond to any provocation from Japan.

According to South Korean media reports, Kim Sang-hoon, Director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Yasusuke Mino, Minister General of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea, to express a solemn protest.