Maritime Survey Near Dokdo is Latest Spat Between Seoul and Tokyo
Here is the latest from the Dokdo front:
Rosy prospects of enhanced three-way cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States against North Korea’s growing threats face uncertainty as a long-running territorial dispute once again pits Seoul and Tokyo against each other.
Korea Times
Japan’s claim to Dokdo, South Korea’s easternmost islets, and other historical issues regarding its wartime atrocities, continue to overshadow their bilateral ties, dashing Washington’s hopes for trilateral cooperation.
South Korea’s new president and the U.S. leader, who visited Asia recently, have tried to change these dynamics, as evidenced by last week’s unprecedented joint statement by their foreign ministers condemning Pyongyang’s ballistic missile launches.
The Japanese foreign ministry lodged a protest against South Korea’s marine survey around Dokdo for the second straight day, Sunday and Monday.
According to Japanese media reports, the ministry confirmed that a Korean research vessel had thrown something like a wire into the sea in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone and that South Korea had acknowledged the marine survey.
However, South Korea’s foreign ministry rejected the claim, saying that it was unacceptable. The ministry also said that the survey was a legitimate activity in accordance with domestic and international laws.
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