South Korea protests "Takeshima is marked as Japanese territory on the map of East Olympics", Japan rebuts

South Korea protests "Takeshima is marked as Japanese territory on the map of East Olympics", Japan rebuts

 

South Korea protests "Takeshima is marked as Japanese territory on the map of East Olympics", Japan rebuts

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to Kyodo News on the 2nd, in response to the South Korean government’s protest against the use of "Takeshima" ("Dokdo" in South Korea) on the official website of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu on the same day At the press conference, he said that he would not accept the protests from South Korea at all, and emphasized that "whether it is by referring to history or according to international law, (Takeshima) is obviously our country's inherent territory."

"Take Island" is a disputed territory between Japan and South Korea. The current actual control is in South Korea, but Japan also claims sovereignty over the island. It is reported that the torch relay route map on the official website of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games marked a small dot above Shimane Prefecture in Japan, marking "Takeshima" as Japanese territory. The South Korean government protested and requested deletion in July 2019, but the Japanese side has always refused to correct it. Later, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee changed the route map. In the default size, the "Takeshima" label was not visible to the naked eye, but the small dots marked on the "Takeshima" position could still be found when the screen was enlarged. According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sun made a solemn protest on the 1st of Japan's claim to the sovereignty of "Takeshima" and requested the Tokyo Olympics to immediately correct relevant information. On the same day, Lee Sang-yeol, director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also summoned the Minister of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea to protest on relevant issues. In addition, there was also a group of Korean college students who burned the "Rising Sun Flag" in Seoul on the 1st and 2nd.

This is not the first time Japan and South Korea have disputes over territorial representation in the Olympics. In 2017, South Korea's use of the expression "Dokdo" on the official website of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was protested by the Japanese government. The Japanese side believed that South Korea’s behavior violated the Olympic Charter’s prohibition on political propaganda and requested the South Korean side to change it, but the South Korean government refused. (Zhuang Yu)