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| Japanese Ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine leaves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in central Seoul, Friday, after the Korean government brought him in to protest against Japan's claim over Dokdo. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
The government strongly denounced Japan, Friday, for claiming sovereignty over Dokdo in its guidelines for high school textbooks.
Protesting the move, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha lodged a complaint in a phone call with Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on the same day. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned in Japanese Ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine.
"The government strongly criticizes the Japanese government for confirming the guidelines that include an inappropriate argument about Korea's inherent territory of Dokdo, and urges immediate withdrawal of the guidelines," the ministry said in a statement issued under the name of spokesman Noh Kyu-duk.
"The islets are clearly the territory of Korea which Japan first occupied when it began invading the Korean Peninsula," the statement read.
It said if the Japanese government refuses to reflect on its wrongdoing under the imperialism of its past by indoctrinating future generations with false historical facts about Dokdo, the country will lose the opportunity to move forward through historical lessons.
"The Korean government will never tolerate any provocations about Dokdo, which is clearly South Korea's territory in terms of historical and geographical perspectives, and also according to international law," it said.
The legally binding guidelines are scheduled to be applied for high school textbooks from 2022. In the section about territory, they stipulate that Takeshima, the Kuril Islands and the Senkaku Islands are Japanese territory.
Takeshima is the Japanese name for Dokdo. Other than the Dokdo issue, Japan is involved in territorial disputes with Russia over the Kuril Islands and China, over the Diaoyudao Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
For years, Tokyo has intensified the long-standing territorial disputes through textbook guidelines. Last year, the Japanese government claimed its sovereignty of Dokdo and Diaoyudao Islands, in the revised textbook guidelines for elementary and middle school students.
In 2009, Tokyo's bid to claim its territorial rights over Dokdo in the high school textbook guidelines fell apart in the face of a backlash from Seoul.
Political parties here criticized Japan's latest move. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea blasted Japan's lack of historical awareness. "Japanese imperialism exploited Dokdo to win the Russo-Japanese War, which led to the colonization of Korea," spokeswoman Kim Hyun said.
"Japan's claim on the islets means the nation seeks to resume territorial rights of past colonies," Kim added. "Rather, the Japanese government should sincerely apologize for its crimes against humanity."
Two minor liberal parties ― the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the Justice Party ― that are moving to form a negotiation body, echoed the criticism.
"Japan's move will hamper the diplomatic efforts of Northeast Asian countries to settle peace on the Korean Peninsula," PDP spokeswoman Chang Jung-sook said.
The Justice Party pointed out this was part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy to overcome a deepening personal scandal as well as diplomatic isolation on the North Korean nuclear issue.
"The prime minister seems to seek a breakthrough amid a corruption scandal involving his wife, as well as diplomatic isolation. However, the clumsy tactic will fall apart soon. It will further accelerate Japan's isolation," said spokesman Choi Suk.
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