Military Conducts First East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise of the Year Near Dokdo

The South Korean military conducted the East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise near Dokdo without disclosing the operation to the public.

The Navy announced on the 6th, "Our military has been routinely carrying out the East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise every year." It added that the exercise was conducted on this day to respond to threats against our territory, people, and property.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the appearance of Japanese warships and patrol vessels near Dokdo was only 87 times in 2009. However, in 2012, there were 99 appearances, 100 in 2013, 101 in 2014, and following 100 last year, the number has exceeded 50 times by June this year.

According to the Navy, the exercise methods and the scale of participating forces were similar to those of previous exercises. The military refers to the Dokdo defense exercise, carried out twice a year near Dokdo, as the East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise. This was the first time the East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise has been held this year and the third time since the beginning of the Lee Jaemyung administration.

The Japanese government has lodged a protest with the South Korean government every time the military conducts the East Sea Territorial Defense Exercise. In the defense white paper released on August 4, Japan continued to make unfounded territorial claims over Dokdo, describing the islets as an inherent part of its territory.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.