The National Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday, denouncing Japan’s repeated claims to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.
The resolution passed with 181 votes out of 182 in the plenary session. It was drafted and approved last week by a special parliamentary committee aimed at countering history distortion attempts in the Northeast Asian region.
“(The parliament) strongly denounces Japan’s repeated provocations of violating South Korea’s territorial sovereignty and distorting history,” it said.
The resolution comes amid souring Seoul-Tokyo diplomatic relations over history and territorial issues stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier this month, Japan approved more middle-school textbooks that claim ownership of the South Korean islets, rekindling a long-running diplomatic feud over Dokdo.
“The issue of distorted and fabricated (history) textbooks will foster strife and disputes between South Korea’s and Japan’s future generations and in that sense we express serious concerns,” according to the resolution.
The resolution also called upon Japan to drop the territory claims, saying that such provocative actions by the Abe administration could seriously undermine bilateral relations.
Japan’s approval of the middle school textbooks that contain the distorted fact on Dokdo is a clear violation of South Korea’s territorial sovereignty, the resolution said, urging Japan to immediately correct the distortion. (Yonhap)
