Japan Reopens Exhibition Hall Claiming Sovereignty Over Dokdo... Government Demands Immediate Closure

by Yoo Jaehoon

Published 18 Apr.2025 15:36(KST)

Summoning Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to Lodge a Protest

On April 18, the Japanese government reopened the national "Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall," which includes claims of sovereignty over Dokdo, prompting the South Korean government to immediately call for its closure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement under the spokesperson's name, saying, "We strongly protest the Japanese government's reopening of the 'Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall' in Tokyo and once again urge its immediate closure."

On the 24th, members of the press and related personnel are inspecting the exhibition hall at the Northeast Asia Foundation Dokdo Experience Center in Times Square, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, during a preview event. The Dokdo Experience Center, which first opened in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, in 2012 as the first of its kind in the metropolitan area, has been able to move to a larger location after 10 years as a full-scale expansion and relocation project has been underway since last year. General admission to the Dokdo Experience Center will begin on the 26th, the day after the opening ceremony. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further stated, "Since the exhibition hall first opened in 2018, our government has continuously demanded its immediate closure, and we express strong regret over its reopening. Repeatedly making unjust claims over Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory, does nothing to help build a future-oriented South Korea-Japan relationship."

In this regard, Kim Sanghun, Director-General for Asia and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Iseki Yoshiyasu, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to the ministry building in Seoul that afternoon to lodge a protest.

Meanwhile, the National Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall in Tokyo contains exhibits asserting Japan's territorial claims over Dokdo, the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu Dao in China), and the four southernmost islands of the Kuril Islands, referred to as the Northern Territories. The hall first opened in 2018 and was expanded and relocated in 2020. Most recently, it completed remodeling work, including the addition of interactive facilities, and reopened on this day.