Japan continues to provoke Korea with its claims to Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo,... with the establishment of an exhibition hall in Tokyo.
The South Korean government is strongly protesting the move,... reminding Japan that facts should serve as the foundation for Korea-Japan relations.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
South Korea-Japan relations continue to sour as Seoul's foreign ministry has strongly protested Japan's establishment of an exhibition hall in central Tokyo that was set up to promote Japan's claims to Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.
The ministry issued the protest on Thursday,... once again reminding Japan that Dokdo is Korean territory, and that the exhibition hall must immediately be closed.

"Our government strongly protests the Japanese government's opening of the territorial sovereignty exhibit hall in Tokyo to make unjustifiable claims to Dokdo, which is Korea's inherent territory. We demand it be closed immediately."

In addition, the foreign ministry called in Katsuro Kitagawa, the minister for political affairs at the Japanese embassy to South Korea,... with the Seoul government also lodging their protest with Japan's foreign ministry.
Earlier this week, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono stated in a parliamentary speech,... that Dokdo is part of Japan's territory and that he will continue to make efforts to strengthen the case for Japanese ownership in the future.
The latest controversy comes a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his willingness to attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, raising optimism over the recent soured relations between the two nations.
Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, has long been a source of tension between the neighbors,... as questions remain whether THIS latest dispute will further impact the foreign relations of the two nations.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.