DP demands Yoon fire defense minister over past remarks about Dokdo

▲ Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo (L), the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), speaks in a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2023. (Yonhap)

DP-defense minister

DP demands Yoon fire defense minister over past remarks about Dokdo

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party demanded Thursday that President Yoon Suk Yeol fire the defense minister, citing his past remarks accused of acknowledging the existence of a territorial dispute over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.

Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, the DP's floor leader, made the demand as Defense Minister Shin Won-sik came under criticism for making remarks during a parliamentary defense committee meeting last year that a territorial dispute exists between South Korea and Japan over the rocky outcroppings.

"(If Yoon) does not want to be mired in a pro-Japanese controversy, he should boldly dismiss Defense Minister Shin Won-sik," Hong said in a policy coordination meeting. "That would be the first step to prove he is the president of the Republic of Korea."

Shin's past remarks came to light after the military came under fire for its newly published education material for troops, where it listed Dokdo among disputes between major countries around the Korean Peninsula, such as China, Russia and Japan.

Seoul has rejected the existence of any territorial disputes over Dokdo, calling the set of rocky islets an integral part of South Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international law.

Yoon immediately ordered corrections, and the ministry has recalled all published materials since last week.

Shin has apologized for the incident.

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