Seoul: South Korea on Tuesday voiced "deep regret" after Japan approved high school textbooks distorting historical facts on its easternmost islets of Dokdo, urging Tokyo to correct the issue. Kim Sang-hoon, director general for Asia-Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, lodged the complaint as he called in Taisuke Mibae, minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, in protest of the announcement.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean government expressed deep regret over the Japanese government's approval of high school textbooks that distort historical facts based on its own historical perspective. The foreign ministry spokesperson, Lee Jae-woong, strongly urged Japan to rectify this issue in an official commentary.
The ministry strongly protested the Japanese government's repeated approval of textbooks containing unjust claims over Dokdo. South Korea maintains that Dokdo is its inherent territory historically, geographically, and by international law. "We firmly state that we do not accept any claims by Japan regarding Dokdo," Lee Jae-woong said.