South Korea rejected on Thursday morning Japan’s proposal to take the two countries’ territorial dispute over the Takeshima Islands to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
South Korea said “no territorial dispute exists over Dokdo,” using the islands’ Korean name, noting that the territories have been historically, geographically and legally South Korean, the Yonhap news agency reported, quoting Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.
Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba described the South Korean refusal as “unfortunate,” adding the government intends to take “appropriate measures” to resolve the dispute, possibly including a unilateral submission of the case to the ICJ in The Hague.
Tokyo submitted the proposal – its third attempt to settle the matter – on August 21. The last attempt was in 1962. Both parties are required to give consent in order for the case to be sent to court.
Japan laid claim to the islands, located in the western part of the Sea of Japan, after World War II. The area is also known as the Liancourt Rocks.
