Democratic Party: "Japan's Dokdo Provocation Will Lead to the Ruin of Bilateral Relations"

Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Democratic Party of Korea strongly criticized Japan's provocations regarding Dokdo, stating that "the bilateral relationship will inevitably face a breakdown," and urged Japan to cease its provocative actions.

Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 14th, "Just ten days before the Tokyo Olympics, Japan once again carried out provocations over Dokdo. They marked Dokdo as Japanese territory on the torch relay map, and yesterday, they published a defense white paper that further provoked by labeling Dokdo as Takeshima."

He continued, "The two countries had been using this Olympics as an opportunity to improve relations and had been discussing holding a Korea-Japan summit, but Japan overturned the carefully prepared feast at the last moment. This is a blunder born from a compulsive obsession with Dokdo that has lasted for 17 years."

He also mentioned UNESCO's investigation results, which revealed that Japan distorted the history of forced labor of Koreans on Hashima Island (Gunkanjima). Yoon said, "(Japan) promised to publicize the history of forced labor and honor the victims when registering the site as a World Cultural Heritage, but instead of implementing follow-up measures, they blatantly displayed distorted historical content at the Industrial Heritage Information Center, claiming there was no slave labor or discrimination against Koreans."

He added, "In politics, I have seen many 'eat-and-run' cases, but this is the first time I have seen an 'eat-and-run' with a World Cultural Heritage. If it were not so serious, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee would not have expressed strong regret."

Yoon warned, "If the Olympics, which prohibit political acts, are exploited as a stage to assert sovereignty over Dokdo, the bilateral relationship will inevitably face a breakdown," and strongly urged the Suga Cabinet to stop all provocative acts that not only regress Korea-Japan relations but also cast doubt on Japan's qualifications as a member of the international community.

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