National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik on the 16th said he "expresses strong regret" to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who claimed that Dokdo is Japanese territory.
Speaker Woo said on his Facebook page that "after Prime Minister Takaichi publicly said at the House of Representatives Budget Committee that 'Dokdo is Japanese territory historically and under international law,' the Japanese government days ago expanded and reopened the Territorial Sovereignty Exhibition Hall that asserts sovereignty over Dokdo and other areas."
Speaker Woo said, "I express strong regret and urge its immediate closure." He said, "Despite our continued demands for closure since its initial opening in 2018, it was reopened in April and recently even added an educational space." He added, "It appears to be an attempt to implant a wrong perception in students, the future generation."
Regarding the collapse of the plan for a Korea-Japan joint hosting of the memorial service for Joseon victims of forced conscription at the Sado mine scheduled for the 21st, he said, "Nothing is being implemented. We demand genuine reflection and a responsible attitude from Japan."
Speaker Woo said, "The recent accelerated move to revise the pacifist Constitution is even more concerning because it would transform Japan into a country capable of war." He continued, "This shakes the foundation of the East Asian peace order established on reflection about past history, and it is something that Korea, as well as all neighboring countries, can never tolerate."
Speaker Woo said, "The history issue should not become an obstacle that blocks all cooperation, but we must not forget that without sincere efforts to resolve this issue, all cooperation is a house built on sand."