"Dokdo Territorial Dispute" in Military Textbook: Seok Kyung-duk Demands "Public Apology"

"Providing an Excuse for Japan's Claims"

The Ministry of National Defense's designation of Dokdo, Korean territory, as a "territorial dispute area" in military mental education materials has raised concerns from Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, who stated that it "provides a pretext for Japan's unjust claims."

On the 28th, Professor Seo wrote on his Facebook, "It has been identified that Dokdo is not marked at all on many maps of the Korean Peninsula in the materials," expressing his concerns.

Professor Seokyung Deok from Sungshin Women's University posted a photo on social networking service (SNS) [Image source=Facebook]

He continued, calling it "an utterly absurd and absolutely unacceptable matter," and emphasized, "The Ministry of National Defense should properly revise the content regarding Dokdo, redistribute the materials, and issue a public apology to ensure that such incidents never happen again." He reiterated, "Dokdo is historically, geographically, and under international law, Korean territory."

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense had included the phrase "territorial disputes such as Diaoyudao (Japanese name: Senkaku Islands), the Kuril Islands, and Dokdo are ongoing, and military clashes could occur at any time" in the 'Basic Mental Power Education Textbook' scheduled for distribution to all military forces at the end of this month. After controversy arose, the ministry decided to recall all copies.

Specifically, the text stated, "The areas surrounding the Korean Peninsula are sharply contested by major powers such as China, Russia, and Japan," and "these countries project military power overseas for their own interests, and territorial disputes such as Diaoyudao (Japanese name: Senkaku Islands), the Kuril Islands, and Dokdo are ongoing, so military clashes could occur at any time."

However, successive Korean governments have never acknowledged the existence of a territorial dispute over Dokdo. This is because Dokdo, as Korea's inherent territory legally, historically, and effectively, cannot be subject to diplomatic or judicial resolution. The inclusion of Dokdo in the realm of territorial disputes has generally been regarded as a strategy primarily originating from Japanese right-wing factions.

Amid growing controversy, it has been reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol also vowed to take stern measures. On the 28th, the Presidential Office stated that President Yoon "strongly reprimanded" the issue regarding the "Dokdo territorial dispute" mentioned in the mental education materials, calling it "something that must never happen," and immediately ordered corrective action.