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Japan and South Korea's Rocky Row

by The Diplomat

Reports that Japan is considering taking the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute to the ICJ risk further inflaming tensions with South Korea. Neither side seems likely to give in. Questions over their status keep rearing their head. Known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, this nondescript, rocky group of islets seems to garner far more attention than their tiny size would seem to justify. Yet in South Korea, year after year, every perceived slight by the Japanese 'colonizers' is pored over in the media in near-microscopic detail. Such incidents are usually followed by the Japanese ambassador of the moment being summoned to the South Korean Foreign Ministry for 'clear the air' talks, with the usual rebuke securing blanket coverage in the nightly news. (The Diplomat)