Lee renews determination to safeguard Dokdo

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak said Monday his administration won't yield to Japan under any circumstances as far as the territorial ownership of Dokdo is concerned.

"I'm determined not to make any concession regarding the territorial ownership of
Dokdo," Lee said while meeting with a group of visiting Korean residents living
in Japan.
"The issue of (Japanese provocation over) Dokdo broke out after I proposed a
future-oriented relationship with Japan. I will never make any concessions
because Dokdo is a territorial issue," said Lee.
However, the president made clear he doesn't want the Dokdo issue to harm
bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo, saying, "South Korea and Japan have
to deepen mutual understanding for the sake of the future."
Lee has vowed to take "quiet but strong" measures to thwart Japan's attempt to
turn the South Korean islets of Dokdo into an area of international territorial
dispute.
Dokdo lies just 90 kilometers east of South Korea's Ulleung Island in the East
Sea, while the closest Japanese territory of Oki Island in Shimane Prefecture is
more than 160 kilometers away. Since 1954, the South Korean Coast Guard has
stationed a small contingent on Dokdo as a symbol of Seoul's ownership of the
rocky islets.
In its latest provocation, Japan released educational and defense documents that
describe Dokdo as part of Japanese territory, stirring a wave of resentment
across South Korea.