South Korea publishes pamphlets to promote Dokdo ownership

The government said Sunday it is distributing pamphlets promoting South Korea's sovereignty over the easternmost islets of Dokdo at diplomatic missions and international schools next month to better inform the international audiences on the subject.
The Ministry of Education and the Northeast Asia History Foundation said the brochure, titled "The East Sea and Dokdo Islets Seen in Maps and Photos," will be distributed at schools run by the South Korean embassies abroad and private international schools for children of Korean parents.
This will be the first publicity material that extensively describes the history of the small outcroppings in the East Sea for audiences abroad, the ministry said, adding a simpler version had already circulated at these institutions.
Japan has long laid claim to the Dokdo islets, which lie closer to South Korea than Japan in waters between the two countries, calling them Takeshima, one of the main thorny diplomatic issues between Seoul and Tokyo.
South Korea has rejected Japan's claim to Dokdo, however, because the country regained its independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territories, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap).
The ministry said the brochure will be available in both Korean and English to accommodate wide audiences. It will also become available at the official web portal of the South Korean government.
A separate pamphlet will be handed out at elementary, middle and high schools nationwide as educational material for teachers, the ministry added.
The pamphlet will contain dozens of ancient documents, maps and old photos proving South Korea's ownership of the islets.
About 15,000 copies of the pamphlet will be distributed, according to the ministry.