SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's presidential office reaffirmed Tuesday that the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo are unequivocally South Korean territory, rejecting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's renewed claim over the islets in the East Sea, Yonhap news reported Tuesday.
A senior presidential official dismissed Takaichi's remarks made during a parliamentary session earlier in the day, stressing that no territorial dispute exists over Dokdo. "Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law," the official said. "We will sternly and firmly respond to Japan's unjust claims over Dokdo."
During the Japanese House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting held Tuesday, Takaichi echoed a claim raised by a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker that the islets, called Takeshima by Japan, are under "illegal occupation" by South Korea. Takaichi argued that the islets constituted Japan's "inherent territory" and said her government would work to reinforce its position both at home and abroad, reported The Chosun Daily Tuesday.
According to Yonhap, it marked Seoul's first strong response to Tokyo since President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.
South Korea has long protested against Japan's renewed territorial claims to the disputed islets lying halfway between the two countries, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan.
South Korea restored its sovereignty over Dokdo after the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonization. Seoul has since been in effective control of the islets, with a small police detachment deployed.
South Koreans see Japan's territorial claims to the islets as a denial of colonial history since Dokdo was the first territory forcibly occupied by Japan. ■
