Yoo Seung-min: "Dokdo Issue Not Resolved, Why Does Moon Go to Japan?"

by Keum Boryeong

Published 11 Jul.2021 13:39(KST)

Updated 11 Jul.2021 13:46(KST)

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People Power Party presidential candidate and former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Yoo Seung-min, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party and former lawmaker, raised his voice in criticism after reports emerged that President Moon Jae-in planned to visit Japan during the Tokyo Olympics.

On the 11th, Yoo stated on Facebook, "The Dokdo issue has not been resolved, so why on earth is the president going to Japan?" On the same day, Japanese media reported that President Moon planned to visit Japan during the Tokyo Olympics to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide.

In response, Yoo said, "I hope this is not true," and pointed out, "During the last Pyeongchang Olympics, at the request of Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), our government removed Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag used in the games. However, in this Tokyo Olympics, Japan is marking Dokdo as Japanese territory despite our demands. This shows Japan’s disregard for our goodwill during the Pyeongchang Olympics and reveals their ambition over Dokdo’s sovereignty."

The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee sparked controversy by marking Dokdo as Japanese territory on maps on its official website. Although the Korean government protested and requested correction, the Japanese government did not accept it. In contrast, during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the IOC mediated to exclude Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag.

Yoo said, "There were voices calling for a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics under these circumstances, but the athlete delegation was sent," and criticized, "Even so, since the Dokdo issue remains unresolved, what reason is there for the president to participate in the Tokyo Olympics?"