MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Japan's Defense Ministry published a white paper in which it deemed Liancourt Rocks islands, also known as Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo or Tokto in Korean, its sovereign territory.
"The [Korean] government strongly condemns the Japanese government including its sovereignty claims to Dokdo Islets, which is clearly our own territory by historical, geological and international standards, in the 2016 defense white paper on Aug. 2. Korea’s Ministry of National Defense will firmly react against any attempts to infringe upon the sovereignty of the Dokdo Islets, and will seamlessly protect our rights to the Dokdo Islets," the spokesman said, as quoted by The Korean Herald.
In April, South Korean Foreign Ministry urged Tokyo to stop claiming the Liancourt Rocks islands, as Tokyo was preparing to issue a diplomatic white paper laying claims to the disputed islands later that month.
The Liancourt Rocks islands have been administered by South Korea since 1954, but Japan disputes Seoul’s sovereignty over the territory.
