On the same day, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a press release stating, "The South Korean research vessel 'Ocean 200' is in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) southwest of Takeshima.
"We confirmed that Defense Ministry spokesman Hirofumi NAKAMURA had dropped a wire-like object into the sea," the report said. It added that "the South Korean side had not requested prior consent."
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "After confirming the investigation of the Takeshima Islands by the Korean vessel, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Hiroyuki Namazu, spoke to Kim Jang-hyun, the next ambassador to the Korean Embassy in Japan.
The Japanese Embassy in Korea's Minister for Political Affairs, Mr. Fumito Yamamoto (Acting Minister), has requested the suspension of the investigation and has strongly protested to the Director-General of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
The Japanese government, which claims Takeshima as its territory, has protested whenever South Korea conducts maritime surveys around the islands. In June of this year, the government also protested multiple times against South Korea's surveys.
In response to these protests from Japan, the Korean government has repeatedly stated that "Dokdo is our country's inherent territory, which is clear from the standpoint of history, geography, and international law," and that "any claims by Japan regarding territorial sovereignty will not be accepted."
"It's not possible," he said.
2024/08/12 07:52 KST
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