South Korea has lodged a strong protest against Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.
In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry denounced Japan over its annual ceremony to promote Dokdo as its territory.
It also reiterated Seoul's stance that Dokdo is Korea's sovereign territory - historically, geographically, and according to international law.
Since 2005, Japan has designated February 22nd as "Takeshima Day", which is the Japanese name for Dokdo.
The protest came hours after the Japanese prefecture of Shimane held the "Takeshima Day" event.
The foreign ministry also called in Hirohisa Soma, a senior official at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and expressed regret over the event.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
