Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheolwoo: "Dokdo Is Clearly Republic of Korea's Territory by History, Geography, and International Law"

Condemning Claims in the Japanese Defense White Paper
Repeated Annually... Calls to End Distorted Assertions

On August 4, the Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial government issued a strong statement condemning the Japanese government's claim that Dokdo is Japanese territory in the "2026 Defense White Paper" released by Japan on the same day.

In its statement, Gyeongsangbuk-do declared, "Dokdo is indisputably an inherent part of the Republic of Korea's territory from historical, geographical, and international law perspectives, and there is no territorial dispute whatsoever." The province strongly criticized the Japanese government, stating, "Japan's repeated and unjust assertions of territorial sovereignty every year deny historical truth and constitute an attempt to institutionalize and perpetuate a distorted perception of territory."

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do

The province pointed out that the Japanese government's continued inclusion of distorted claims regarding Dokdo in its official national documents, such as diplomatic bluebooks and now the defense white paper, undermines mutual trust between the two nations and offers no benefit to building a future-oriented bilateral relationship.

As the local government with jurisdiction over Dokdo, Gyeongsangbuk-do urged the Japanese government to immediately cease making unfounded territorial claims contrary to historical facts, as well as all acts that undermine the Republic of Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo.

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "Dokdo is indisputably an inherent part of the Republic of Korea's territory from historical, geographical, and international law perspectives, and no claim by Japan can affect our territorial sovereignty."

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