S. Korea conducts maritime survey near Takeshima

Jiji Press

15:37 JST, May 30, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A vessel of a South Korean state-run institution conducted a maritime survey without permission in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near disputed Sea of Japan islands known as Takeshima in Japan on Sunday, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of the ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, phoned a South Korean diplomat at the country’s embassy in Tokyo to strongly protest the maritime survey, saying that such activities are unacceptable and must be called off immediately.

The Japanese Embassy in Seoul also lodged a protest with the South Korean Foreign Ministry over the matter.

A patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard found the South Korean ship, Hae Yang 2000, sailing with what appeared to be a cable dropped down into the water in an area about 90 kilometers north of Takeshima. South Korea also claims that the sea area is part of its EEZ.

When the Japanese side asked about the activities Hae Yang 2000 was engaged in, the South Korean side replied that the ship was conducting a survey.

The Takeshima islands in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, are effectively controlled by Seoul and claimed by Tokyo. In South Korea, the islands are called Dokdo.