South Korea protests Japan's Dokdo claim in defense white paper

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense summoned a Japanese defense attaché on August 4 to lodge a formal protest against Japan's renewed territorial claims over Dokdo in its latest defense white paper.

Kim Hak-jo, the ministry's director-general for international policy, met with Takeshi Nagayoshi, the Japanese defense attaché stationed in Seoul, to demand an immediate correction and cessation of such claims. The ministry reiterated its firm stance that Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory, supported by historical, geographical, and international legal evidence.

Seoul emphasized that it will respond resolutely to any attempts to infringe upon its sovereignty over the islets. The Dokdo islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, have long been a point of contention between the two neighboring countries, with both laying claim to the territory.

The Japanese defense white paper's inclusion of the territorial claim has consistently been a source of diplomatic friction. South Korea views these claims as a distortion of historical facts and a challenge to its sovereign rights.