Labor, civic groups condemn Mori's statement on Dokdo

Labor and civic groups, including the Democratic Labor Party, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Dokdo Garrison, held a joint rally at Tapgol Park in Seoul Thursday to condemn Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's "reckless" remarks on the Dokdo islets and demand his apology.

They claimed that the Japanese premier must retract his statement before the Korean people and extend a sincere apology for his absurd remarks. They also asserted that the government should not remain silent on the development any longer and lodge a stern protest with the Tokyo government, lest Mori repeat such an utterance in the future.

The Democratic Labor Party, in particular, stated that Mori's claim to Dokdo ownership was a tactical scheme designed to turn Korea's territorial right to the islets into an international dispute. His remarks, made in an interview with a Korean television station, were aimed at the Korean people as a whole, making them a more serious provocation than similar statements made at the Japanese Foreign Ministry in the past, the DLP argued.