The third-day meeting of the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of North Korea held last January [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] North Korea has urged the cessation of historical distortion and territorial expansionist actions in response to a senior Japanese official referring to the East Sea as the "Sea of Japan."
On the 8th, the Korean Central News Agency commented, "A person holding the position of Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japan insisted at a certain press conference that the use of the term East Sea is inappropriate and claimed that 'Sea of Japan' is the only official international name," adding, "(This) is a concentrated expression of the eternal and unchanging invasion ambitions of Japanese reactionaries toward Korea (the Korean Peninsula)."
Previously, on the 25th of last month, Manabu Sakai, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, regarding North Korea's ballistic missile launch over the East Sea, criticized the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's statement that used the term "East Sea" for the relevant waters, asserting that "the Sea of Japan is the only internationally established name." Following Japan's correction request, the U.S. military also changed the designation to "Sea of Japan."
On the same day, the agency pointed out, "'Sea of Japan' is a criminal place name condensed from the history of Japanese colonial rule, a product of militaristic expansionist policies, and a synonym for imperialist aggression."
It further emphasized, "If the colonial relic 'Sea of Japan' place name continues to remain, it legitimizes the criminal history of Japanese fascist invasion of Korea and provides authorities with an unparalleled excuse to avoid addressing past wrongdoings."
It added, "Currently, Japanese reactionaries are more than ever vocally asserting the 'Sea of Japan' name and 'Dokdo sovereignty,' accelerating military preparations including island recapture drills," and "These baseless claims by Japan are evidence directly linked to building justification for re-invasion."
Meanwhile, North Korea has decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for July this year.
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