It turned out that the Japanese embassy in South Korea refused to accept the gift of President Moon Jae-in's Lunar New Year gift with a picture of Dokdo on it.
Japanese media, including Kyodo News, reported that the Japanese Embassy in Korea returned the Lunar New Year gift box sent by the Blue House to Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi in the name of President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook.
He said that he heard that the reason for the return was that the gift box had a picture reminiscent of Dokdo.
It is known that the Japanese embassy returned this gift and protested, claiming sovereignty over Dokdo to the Korean government, saying, "Even in light of historical facts, it cannot be accepted as Japan's own territory even under international law."
The Blue House has sent a gift set containing traditional liquor and chestnuts to ambassadors from each country on the occasion of the Lunar New Year holiday.
On the outside of the gift box, there is a sunrise scene with an island in the background, and the Japanese embassy is claiming that this island is reminiscent of Dokdo.
Previously, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi repeatedly insisted that "Dokdo is Japan's own territory" in a diplomatic speech to the regular National Assembly on the 17th.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea urged the Japanese government to immediately withdraw its unreasonable claim over Dokdo, saying, "The Japanese government must immediately stop futile claims and attempts over Dokdo, which is clearly our own territory historically, geographically, and under international law."
(Photo = provided by the Blue House, Yonhap News)