ID :
205493
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 11:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205493
The shortlink copeid
Author of Dokdo novel vows to aid foreign ministry in 'small but practical' way
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean judge recognized for his novel on the nation's easternmost islets of Dokdo pledged Tuesday to make "small but practical" contributions at the foreign ministry, weeks after he was hired to offer legal advice on handling Japan's claim to the islets.
Jeong Jae-min, 34, joined the ministry's bureau for international law on Aug. 22 under a one-year contract after writing the historical mystery "Dokdo in the Hague." The book, published in 2009 under Jeong's pen name, Ha Ji-hwan, depicts South Korea's victory against Japan in a fictional court battle over Dokdo at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
"I don't believe I have the ability to offer advice. In fact, I should be the one receiving advice," Jeong told reporters. "But since I am here, I'm determined to study hard over the next year and make small but practical contributions."
Jeong said he first took an interest in the Dokdo issue seven years ago when he was assigned to the international policy team of the defense ministry.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will officially appoint Jeong later in the day as the ministry's legal adviser on Dokdo, according to ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae.
"Jeong has been recognized for his knowledge and legal expertise on Dokdo," Cho told reporters during a press briefing. "We have high expectations of him as a legal adviser on Dokdo."
Jeong's appointment comes amid renewed tensions over the East Sea islets. Three conservative Japanese lawmakers were banned entry at a Seoul airport last month over their alleged attempt to bolster Tokyo's claims to Dokdo. A day later, the foreign ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat in Seoul to protest claims to Dokdo in an annual Japanese defense paper.
Seoul flatly dismisses any attempt by Tokyo to lay claim to its easternmost islets, saying it regained control over all of its territory, including Dokdo, at the end of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
Cho, the spokesman, however, denied that Jeong's appointment is a response to the recent series of events.
Jeong Jae-min, 34, joined the ministry's bureau for international law on Aug. 22 under a one-year contract after writing the historical mystery "Dokdo in the Hague." The book, published in 2009 under Jeong's pen name, Ha Ji-hwan, depicts South Korea's victory against Japan in a fictional court battle over Dokdo at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
"I don't believe I have the ability to offer advice. In fact, I should be the one receiving advice," Jeong told reporters. "But since I am here, I'm determined to study hard over the next year and make small but practical contributions."
Jeong said he first took an interest in the Dokdo issue seven years ago when he was assigned to the international policy team of the defense ministry.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will officially appoint Jeong later in the day as the ministry's legal adviser on Dokdo, according to ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae.
"Jeong has been recognized for his knowledge and legal expertise on Dokdo," Cho told reporters during a press briefing. "We have high expectations of him as a legal adviser on Dokdo."
Jeong's appointment comes amid renewed tensions over the East Sea islets. Three conservative Japanese lawmakers were banned entry at a Seoul airport last month over their alleged attempt to bolster Tokyo's claims to Dokdo. A day later, the foreign ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat in Seoul to protest claims to Dokdo in an annual Japanese defense paper.
Seoul flatly dismisses any attempt by Tokyo to lay claim to its easternmost islets, saying it regained control over all of its territory, including Dokdo, at the end of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
Cho, the spokesman, however, denied that Jeong's appointment is a response to the recent series of events.
