Seoul has strongly protested Tokyo’s fresh territorial claim to Dokdo. 

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon under the South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson’s name, the South Korean government said Dokdo is South Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law. 

It also urged the Japanese government to immediately suspend “futile attempts” regarding the easternmost islets and humbly face up to history. 

Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi argued that Dokdo belongs to Japan both in the view of historical facts and under international law.

It is the seventh time that Japan has laid claim to Dokdo through a foreign minister’s speech since 2014.