SEOUL, The defense ministry said Tuesday it has expanded the scope of an examination into its troop education material recalled late last year after stirring up controversy for describing the easternmost islets of Dokdo as disputed territory.
In December, the ministry recalled the newly published material and launched an inspection into its drafting process as it listed Dokdo among disputes between major countries around the Korean Peninsula.
When asked about the examination’s progress, the ministry said officials were still looking over the material.
“The content of the inspection has been expanded from what was originally planned, and it is currently looking into those areas in question,” Jeon Ha-kyou, the ministry’s spokesperson, told a regular briefing.
Officials are said to be examining not only the content on Dokdo but the educational material in its entirety.
The set of rocky islets has long been a recurring source of tension between South Korea and Japan as Tokyo has repeatedly made territorial
claims over them.
Seoul has rejected such claims, calling Dokdo an integral part of South Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international law. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.
Source: Yonhap News Agency