South Korea summons Japanese diplomat over Diplomatic Bluebook claiming disputed islands

The neighbours are at odds over the sovereignty of the islands called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan lying about halfway between them.

The Liancourt Rocks also known as Dokdo in Korean or Takeshima in Japanese | Representational image | Commons

Seoul: South Korea’s foreign ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat on Tuesday to protest a claim in Japan’s annual diplomatic policy Bluebook over a group of islands between the countries at the centre of a longstanding territorial row, Yonhap news reported.

Earlier, South Korea’s foreign ministry said it “strongly protests” the claim made in the Diplomatic Bluebook issued by Japan on Tuesday and said the islands were historically and geographically its sovereign territory.

While ties between the two countries have improved recently, the neighbours are at odds over the sovereignty of the islands called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan that lie about halfway between them.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies)

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