Seoul has strongly criticized Japan's latest move to intensify false claims over South Korea's Dokdo Island.
Starting next year... Tokyo's education ministry is requiring its high school teachers to teach that Dokdo is Japan's Takeshima.
Oh Jung-hee has more.
South Korea has sternly protested Japan's recent revision of its teaching manual which intensifies territorical claims over South Korea's easternmost Dokdo Island.
On Tuesday, Japan's education ministry posted a guide for high school teachers to teach -- STARTING NEXT YEAR -- that South Korea's Dokdo Island is Japanese territory,... and is called Takeshima.
That's three years earlier than originally planned.
Seoul called on Tokyo to immediately withdraw the plan.
"The South Korean government deems it very regrettable that the Japanese government revised its teaching manual for high schools to strengthen unjust claims over South Korea's Dokdo Island... and strongly demands an immediate withdrawal of the claims."
Seoul pointed out that Japan would be missing an opportunity to move forward by reflecting on past mistakes,... if Tokyo continues holding on to (quote)"preposterous" claims based on the (quote)"wrong" perception of history.
"Dokdo Island is clearly South Korea's territory historically, geographically and under international law. The South Korean government makes it clear that it won't tolerate any provocations over Dokdo Island... and will continue to respond resolutely."
The foreign ministry also summoned Kohei Maruyama, a minister at the Japanese Embassy, later on Tuesday.
In March this year, Japan issued teaching guidelines that said high school textbooks should describe Dokdo Island as Takeshima starting 2022... but that schedule was moved forward by three years on Tuesday.
Tuesday's guidelines referred to Dokdo Island as Japan's sovereign territory... and claimed that South Korea is illegally occupying the islets.
Such a change is not minor because the teaching guidelines are legally binding... and high school textbooks must reflect what's stipulated in the guidelines.
In the previous revision in 2009,... there was no direct mention of Dokdo Island.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
