Gyeongbuk Province Demands "Japanese Government Immediately Withdraw Dokdo Provocation" ... Defense White Paper Issues 'Protest Statement'

Japan Claims Sovereignty over Dokdo for 16 Consecutive Years in Defense White Paper

In the 2020 edition of Japan's Defense White Paper, Dokdo has disappeared from the map indicating the locations of major units, and Takeshima (竹島, the name Japan claims for Dokdo) has appeared. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Gyeongsangbuk-do strongly protested and immediately demanded the withdrawal of Japan's repeated territorial claims over Dokdo in the Defense White Paper announced by the Japanese government on the 14th, issuing a statement on the 15th.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, pointed out in the statement that "Dokdo is our living space for generations, a symbol of national dignity, and clearly the territory of the Republic of Korea historically, geographically, and under international law," and condemned, "Japan's claim is a regressive act trapped in past imperialistic territorial ambitions and will not escape international criticism."

He continued, "Japan's persistent and blatant territorial encroachment acts hinder the future-oriented cooperative partnership between Korea and Japan and are absolutely unacceptable," warning, and urged, "The Japanese government should immediately scrap the Defense White Paper based on a distorted historical view and actively participate in the international community's efforts for prosperity and peace settlement in Northeast Asia."

He also declared, "As the governor in charge of Dokdo, together with 3 million residents, we will never tolerate any provocation by Japan regarding Dokdo's territorial sovereignty and will respond firmly."

The Defense White Paper reported to the Cabinet meeting by Japan's Ministry of Defense on the 14th states that "the territorial issues of Japan's inherent territories, the Northern Territories (four Kuril Islands), and Dokdo still remain unresolved." It also includes Dokdo within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and marks Dokdo as Japanese airspace on the map of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) of surrounding countries.

This is the 16th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan's Defense White Paper has claimed Dokdo as Japanese territory. Following the distortion of middle school social studies textbooks in March, the diplomatic bluebook in May, and the Defense White Paper in July, Japan's repeated claims of "territorial sovereignty over Dokdo" are interpreted as a meticulous strategy to establish Dokdo as an international dispute area as a fait accompli.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.