Japan Strongly Protests South Korean Survey Vessel Near Dokdo

"No Prior Application or Consent from South Korea"

The Japanese government announced that it had lodged a strong protest, claiming a South Korean research vessel was conducting marine surveys near Dokdo.

On August 7, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We confirmed that the South Korean research vessel 'Tamhae 3' was deploying a wire-like object into the sea in our country's (Japan's) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) west of Takeshima (Japan's name for Dokdo)."

The ministry also added, "There was no prior consent or application from the South Korean side regarding this research activity."

The photo shows the area near Dokdo marked with a blue solid line on the "Map of Borders and Surveillance in Surrounding Maritime and Airspaces of Our Country," claiming it as their national territorial waters. Photo by Yonhap News.

In relation to the survey, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Masaaki Kanai, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, conveyed to Lee Sang-ryeol, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Japan, and Kazuo Chujo, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Korea, delivered to Lee Minkyeong, Director-General for Asia and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea, that conducting such activities without prior consent is unacceptable and issued a strong protest.

The Japanese government, which claims sovereignty over Dokdo, protests each time South Korea conducts marine research in the waters surrounding the islets.

In response, the South Korean government has consistently stated, "Dokdo is clearly an integral part of our territory from historical, geographical, and international law perspectives," emphasizing that it cannot accept any Japanese claim regarding sovereignty over the territory.

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