South Korea summons Japan's defence attach in protest over island claims

South Korea's defence ministry summoned Japan's defence attache on Tuesday to protest over an annual white paper published by Tokyo, which made a territorial claim over disputed islands located in the East Sea. Both sides claim longstanding territorial rights over the islands, which are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, and lie roughly halfway between the two countries.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement its international affairs chief Lee Kwang-seok had summoned the Japanese defence attache to Korea in protest. Lee demanded the immediate removal of Japan's territorial claims from the paper and added that the government will "sternly respond to any attempts to harm sovereignty over the Dokdo islands".

Tokyo has claimed the islands as its own territory in its annual defence white paper for decades, prompting protests from Seoul. The islands are currently controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards.

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