South Korea protests Japan’s renewed claim over Dokdo

South Korea summoned a senior Japanese diplomat to protest Tokyo’s renewed territorial claim over the disputed islets of Dokdo, in the latest flare-up between the two neighbors.

Kim Sang-hoon, director general for Asia-Pacific affairs, lodged a formal complaint with Hirotaka Matsuo, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, who was called in to the foreign ministry, Yonhap reports.

The protest followed the release of Japan’s annual Diplomatic Bluebook by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan earlier in the day. The report reiterated Japan’s claim to Dokdo, describing South Korea’s control as an “illegal occupation” and criticizing Seoul for stationing security personnel on the islets.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi submitted the bluebook at a Cabinet meeting, reaffirming Tokyo’s longstanding position on the territorial dispute.

In response, South Korea’s foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement, saying it “strongly protests Japan's renewal of its unjust territorial claim to Dokdo and urges its immediate withdrawal.”

The ministry emphasized that Dokdo is “historically, geographically and under international law” South Korean territory, adding: “The government once again makes clear that Japan's unjust claim will have no influence on our sovereignty over Dokdo.”

Seoul also pledged a firm response to what it described as Japan’s “provocations” regarding the islets.

The sovereignty dispute over Dokdo—known as Takeshima in Japan—has long been a recurring source of tension between the two countries. Tokyo regularly reiterates its claim in official policy documents, public statements, and educational materials.

South Korea, which maintains effective control over the islets, continues to station a small police detachment there.

By Vafa Guliyeva