Roh Speech Refutes Japan’s Dokdo Claim

President Roh Moo-hyun announced on Tuesday in a special address on the Korea-Japan relationship that he “will review the overall countermeasures taken against Japan regarding Dokdo in the future,” and added that “he will deal with the issue head-on along with visits to the Yasukuni Shrine as it involves Korea’s liberation history and the protection of our sovereignty.”

President Roh stressed that Korea will “take stern measures against physical provocation from Japan and will not compromise or surrender at any cost and sacrifice.”

He added, “Japan’s claim of the right to occupy Dokdo is justifying not only the right to occupy our territory through imperialistic invasions but also the past colonial rule over us. It is denying the complete independence and liberation of our country.”

President Roh especially emphasized, “Dokdo is not merely about the dominium of an islet but also to settle the erroneous history between Korea and Japan and to establish a complete sovereignty.”

To this announcement, Japan’s Kyodo News reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he wants to “deal with this issue calmly on the premise of friendly relations between Korea and Japan.”

About the possible aggravation of the two countries’ relationship, Koizumi said, “A summit with President Roh will be desirable,” and also, “The media should not stir up the current confrontation.”

Yeon-Wook Jung Young-A Soh jyw11@donga.com sya@donga.com