The government said Friday that it will significantly expand the education of South Korea's Dokdo islets at elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.

The decision was announced by the Ministry of Education at the Government Complex in Seoul, hours after Japan approved new high school textbooks laying claim to the rocky outcroppings.

In a statement, the Education Ministry criticized the Japanese government, saying that it is dangerous to provide young students with distorted views of history and wrong territorial assertions. The ministry also said that the textbooks can repeat Japan's history of invasion.

Calling it a shameful act that can jeopardize peace in Northeast Asia, the ministry pledged to do its best to raise global awareness of the illegitimacy of Japan's decision.

The ministry plans to distribute educational reference materials on Dokdo at elementary, middle and high schools across the country beginning next month and encourage their use during the classes.

It also plans to elaborate on the description of the country’s sovereignty over Dokdo in upcoming history textbooks for high school students.

The ministry also said it will draft a set of requests to correct Japanese textbooks and deliver them to the Tokyo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June.