Japanese leader's remark on Dokdo to stir trouble

It has been found that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori remarked at a press conference with KBS right before President Kim's visit to Japan on Sept. 19 that the Dokdo islets belonged to Japan.

The KBS labor union revealed that Prime Minister Mori made a statement asserting Dokdo was Japanese territory right before the Korea-Japan summit meeting.

However, the KBS reporting/production department broadcasted the interview after having edited this segment out of the press conference out of concerns that it would adversely affect the summit meeting beginning the next day.

According to the KBS labor union, at the interview Prime Minister Mori stated, "Dokdo is, by history, geography and international law, clearly our sovereign territory and that is our clear position."

A foreign ministry official stressed that the government has exercised sovereignty over Dokdo and its coastal waters and Korea's ownership of Dokdo stands firm. Whatever someone in Japan says about owning Dokdo should not be given the slightest consideration, he added.