Chujo Kazuo, minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday after being summoned over Japan's sovereignty claim over Dokdo in its defense white paper. [Yonhap]
Chujo Kazuo, minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday after being summoned over Japan's sovereignty claim over Dokdo in its defense white paper. [Yonhap]

South Korea lodged a "strong protest" against Japan's defense white paper, which repeated its sovereignty claim over Dokdo for the 22nd consecutive year, and demanded the claim be "immediately retracted."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Du-sun said in a statement Tuesday that "the government strongly protests Japan's repeated, unjustified sovereignty claim over Dokdo — which is indisputably our territory historically, geographically and under international law — as stated in the Japanese government's defense white paper, and urges its immediate retraction."

Park said the government "again makes clear that Japan's unjustified claims have no bearing whatsoever on our sovereignty over Dokdo," adding that Seoul "will respond resolutely to any Japanese provocation regarding Dokdo."

The Foreign Ministry also summoned Chujo Kazuo, minister at the Japanese Embassy, to convey its formal protest.


moone@heraldcorp.com