"The government sternly protests Japan's renewed provocative act," a foreign ministry spokesman said, calling on the Japanese government to stop such an act immediately.
"It is clear that Dokdo is Korean territory historically, geographically and in terms of international law," the spokesman said.
Japan has long identified the rocky islets off Korea's east coast as a disputed land in an attempt to take the matter to an international court with a final goal of eventually taking over Dokdo.
Historical records prove Korea's rightful sovereignty over the islets. Currently, Korea has police coast guards stationed on Dokdo.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com