'Kim Koo's Great-Grandson' Kim Yongman: "Shameless Provocation by Japanese Prime Minister... Dokdo Must Retain Its Resident Presence"

Yongman Kim Expresses Anger at Prime Minister Takaichi's Dokdo Remarks
"Clear and Shameless Provocation"
Raises Concern Over "Zero Residents" on Dokdo

As Sanae Takaichi, the Prime Minister of Japan, made a controversial statement asserting that "Dokdo is Japanese territory," Kim Yongman, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and great-grandson of Kim Koo, strongly criticized the remarks as "a blatant and shameless provocation."

Kim Yongman, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Instagram

On March 14, through his social networking service (SNS) account, Assemblyman Kim pointed out, "Prime Minister Takaichi of Japan has once again insisted that Dokdo is Japanese territory and even mentioned sending a 'minister-level envoy.'" He explained, "Last month, our government immediately protested the 'Takeshima Day' event, summoned a Japanese diplomat, and, following this latest outrageous remark, reaffirmed its firm stance by stating, 'We will respond resolutely and strictly to any unjust claims.'"

However, Kim did express concern over the fact that Dokdo has recently become an uninhabited island. He said, "Recently, with the passing of the late Kim Shin-yeol, who was the last resident of Dokdo, the island's population has become zero." He continued, "The deceased was a living symbol of the Republic of Korea's 'effective control,' engaging in fishing and exercising voting rights on Dokdo. It is clear that Japan will seize upon this as a pretext for making further unreasonable territorial claims."

He went on to stress, "Our land, Dokdo, must not remain an uninhabited island with zero residents," and called on the government to "recognize the gravity of this issue and urgently devise measures to ensure the continued presence of residents on Dokdo."

On March 12, Prime Minister Takaichi attended the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan and stated, "We will firmly inform the international community that Dokdo is Japanese territory." She also commented on the dispatch of a minister (cabinet-level official) to the 'Takeshima Day' event, saying, "We intend to create the environment necessary to make it happen someday."

Sanae Takaichi, the Prime Minister of Japan, attended the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan on the 12th and stated, "We will firmly inform the international community that Dokdo is Japanese territory." Photo by AP Yonhap News

Prime Minister Takaichi, who took office in October last year, previously mentioned during the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election that "it would be acceptable for the Japanese government to send a higher-ranking minister, rather than the usual vice minister-level official, to the 'Takeshima Day' event." However, on February 22, at this year's Takeshima Day, she followed the usual practice and sent a vice minister. At the time, Kyodo News analyzed that this move was likely intended to show consideration for South Korea in light of the ongoing efforts to improve bilateral relations.

Regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's recent remarks, Kim Namkook, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at a briefing on March 13, "Japan must immediately cease its baseless territorial claims and historical distortions." He further emphasized, "In particular, the fact that the Prime Minister herself publicly declared her intent to inform the international community exposes the historical revisionism and territorial expansionism of Japan's far-right political forces, constituting a highly inappropriate act that undermines trust in Korea-Japan relations." He added, "Politically exploiting the Dokdo issue to fuel conflict does nothing to contribute to peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia."

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