A South Korean civic group has said it has taken out a real estate protection insurance policy on the Dokdo islets.

The Headquarters of the Movement for the Restoration of the Island of Dokdo announced they took out a 10 million won policy with Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance Co. The policy will allow the group to receive 4.6 billion won if Japan ever gains ownership of the islets.

The gesture is seen as a symbolic move to drive home the point that the Dokdo Islets belong to South Korea.

The group's chairman Kim Bong-woo said this action was taken in response to the recent attempts of a Japanese right-wing group to land on Dokdo, as well as the continuing effort by the Japanese government to turn the Dokdo issue into an international territorial dispute.

Samsung Insurance said there is no doubt that Dokdo belongs to South Korea, so there is no impediment to insuring the islets.