Seoul slams Tokyo's fresh claim to Dokdo

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with details of Seoul's reaction throughout)
SEOUL/TOKYO, July 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Friday blasted Japan over its
latest claim in an annual defense white paper to the South Korean islets of
Dokdo, accusing Tokyo of raising tensions less than a month after the two
countries held a summit.

In a cabinet meeting earlier in the day, Tokyo approved its 2009 defense white
paper containing the same language on Dokdo as in the 2008 document.
Tokyo's defense white paper has claimed the country's territorial rights to Dokdo
since 2005.
Seoul's defense ministry issued a statement, saying, "We sternly oppose Japan's
description of Dokdo as part of Japanese territory and demand an immediate
correction by the Japanese government."
"We stress once again that we won't accept Japan's claim to Dokdo, which is
clearly Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international laws,"
the ministry said.
It urged Tokyo to seriously recognize that the repeated claims would only get in
the way of both countries' bid to develop their relationship into that of a
future-oriented partnership.
Dokdo has long been a key target of Japan's territorial claims. South Korea has
stationed a police contingent on the islets since the end of the 1950-53 Korean
War to symbolize its ownership A married couple now resides there during the
fishing season.
The latest cabinet decision comes less than a month after the summit between
President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Taro Aso in Tokyo, during which they
promised to increase cooperation and economic ties.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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