Navy Conducts Dokdo Defense Drill on the 2nd

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The military conducted this year's first 'Dokdo Defense Exercise' earlier this month. This came about half a month after the Japanese government described Dokdo as 'Japan's inherent territory' in the 2020 edition of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs official diplomatic white paper.

According to military sources on the 5th, the Navy conducted the 'East Sea Territory Protection Exercise' on the 2nd of this month together with the Coast Guard and Air Force. Since last year, the military has renamed the Dokdo Defense Exercise to the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise. It is known that 7 to 8 naval vessels and 4 to 5 aircraft, including F-15Ks, participated in this exercise.

The military conducted the exercise assuming situations of civilian vessels intruding into territorial waters and military threats. Considering the COVID-19 situation, no troop landing exercises on Dokdo were conducted.

This exercise took place amid rising tensions between Korea and Japan due to Japan's recent territorial claims over Dokdo and Korea's World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint. On the 19th of last month, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs included an unfounded claim in its diplomatic white paper stating that Dokdo is Japan's inherent territory and that Korea is illegally occupying it. The day the exercise was conducted, the 2nd, was also the day the Korean government announced it would resume WTO complaint procedures against Japan's export restrictions, as Japan showed a lukewarm response to lifting export controls.

However, the military stated that this exercise is an annual and planned training and was not conducted in consideration of the recent Korea-Japan relations. Since 1986, the military has conducted the Dokdo Defense Exercise annually in the first and second halves of the year, typically involving Korean destroyers (3,200-ton class), Navy and Coast Guard vessels, P-3C maritime patrol aircraft, and F-15K fighter jets.

During the second half exercise last December, the training was conducted only through simulation without vessel maneuvers due to weather conditions. At that time, there was an interpretation that the scale of the exercise was somewhat reduced considering the phase of improving relations with Japan, such as the extension of the 'General Security of Military Information Agreement' (GSOMIA).

Japan has protested every time Korea conducts the Dokdo Defense Exercise. It is reported that during last year's exercise, Japan expressed regret via a phone call to the Political Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Korea.