SEOUL – The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Tuesday lodged a strong protest over Japan’s approval of new high school textbooks that include renewed claims over the easternmost South Korean islets of Dokdo, which is called “Takeshima” in Japan.
The ministry summoned Hirotaka Matsuo, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, expressing deep regret over Japan’s description of distorted facts about the islets.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by a South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned the move, stressing that Dokdo is clearly an integral part of South Korean territory historically, geographically, and under international law. It also expressed deep regret over what it described as distorted historical narratives in the textbooks, including issues related to “comfort women” and wartime forced labor.
Seoul urged Tokyo to immediately correct the materials and take a more responsible approach to history education, warning that such actions undermine efforts to build future-oriented bilateral relations.
South Korea restored its sovereignty over the islets following the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule. Seoul has since been in effective control of Dokdo, with a small police detachment deployed.
South Koreans see Japan’s territorial claims to the islets as a denial of the colonial history.