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Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 19:43
ROK urges Japan to retract territorial claim to disputed islets
By Xinhua
Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 19:43 By Xinhua

This July 14, 2008 aerial picture shows the Dokdo (Takeshima) islets in the East Sea (the Sea of Japan). (KOREA POOL REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT / AFP)

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's foreign ministry urged Japan Tuesday to retract its territorial claims to the disputed islets, called Dokdo in the ROK and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries.

The ministry's spokesman said in a statement that the defense white paper, unveiled by the Japanese government, repeated its wrongful territorial claims to the ROK inherent territory of Dokdo.

Japan has laid territorial claim to the rocky outcroppings through its annual defense white paper for 14 years in a row

The statement strongly protested against the claim, urging Tokyo to immediately withdraw it.

Japan has laid territorial claim to the rocky outcroppings through its annual defense white paper for 14 years in a row.

READ MORE: S. Korea denounces Japan for territorial claims to disputed islets

ROK people regard the claim as Japan's refusal to repent for its imperialist past as the islets were incorporated into Japan's territory during its 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

The ROK regained its sovereignty over the islets right after its liberation from the colonial rule.

The foreign ministry said Japan's wrongful, ridiculous claim to Dokdo will never be of any help to build future-oriented relations between South Korea and Japan.

ALSO READ: South Korea protests Japan's distorted history textbooks

It noted Japan's claim will have no influence on the ROK's sovereignty over Dokdo, which it said is the ROK's inherent territory historically, geographically and by international law.

The ministry summoned Koichi Mizushima, minister at the Japanese embassy in Seoul, to lodge a protest against the Japanese government.

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