South Korea protests Japan tsunami alerts showing disputed islets

South Korean emergency workers patrol a beach in Gangneung on January 1, 2024, as South Korea issued tsunami advisory after a major earthquake in Japan. A succession of 21 earthquakes registering 4.0 magnitude or stronger struck central Japan in just over 90 minutes on January 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Photo by Yonhap/AFP)

SEOUL — South Korea has protested to Japan over a tsunami advisory issued by its neighbor following the powerful New Year’s Day earthquake that featured a map displaying a group of its islands also claimed by Tokyo, officials in Seoul said on Tuesday.

Although ties have improved in recent years, the two remain at odds over the sovereignty of the islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, which lie about halfway between them in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

South Korea offered condolences for Monday’s disaster, but added that the islands, shown on the map issued by Japan’s weather agency, were not subject to any territorial dispute.

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