North Korea fires harsh statements against Japan's Dokdo Claim

North Korea is furious against Japan's claim on the South Korean islets of Dokdo. The North Korea's state-controlled propaganda website, Uriminzokkiri, posted a statement lambasting the claims, saying it is "unabashed."

According to Asia Times, Tokyo's foreign minister Fumio Kishida announced Friday that those islets are Japanese territory. This made North Korea mad, slamming Japan's claim as "nonsensical sophistry." North Korea said Korea discovered and maintained the islands 1,000 years before Japan did.

Uriminzokkiri's post even called for the crushing of "Japan's ploys to take away Dokdo."

"That Dokdo is the sacred territory of our nation has been proved clearly and sufficiently by historical facts and materials as well as on geographical and legal grounds," said the post in the website as reported by Korea Times. "The truth can never change however hard and frequently Japan claims it is their territory."

Korea Herald reported that Japan has declared sovereignty over the islets for a long time. However, Dokdo is closer to South Korea compared to Japan. The dispute is one of the most problematic diplomatic issue facing the neighbouring countries. Japan colonized the eastern most islets of South Korea from 1910 to 1945.

Meanwhile, Seoul rejects Japan's claim on Dokdo, saying that the islet is South Korean territory by geography, history, and national law. 

"There would be no more unabashed claim than Japan's assertion of its territorial rights to the Dokdo islets," North Korea's website added.

This website, however, has recently been in the center of a legal battle last week after a South Korean was acquitted of violating the anti-communist National Security Law of South Korea. The man followed the twitter account of North Korea's website and retweeted it more than one hundred times.

On the other hand, the Japanese Foreign Minister has also been in the center of a controversy in both North and South Korea due to his recent statements on Japan-Korea affairs. Just last week, he said "sex slaves" is not the appropriate term for describing women who were forcibly brought to military brothels in the heights of World War II.

Tags

North Korea, Japan, South Korea, Dokdo, Fumio Kishida, territorial disputes

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