North Gyeongsang Province on the 24th said it "strongly protests that textbooks containing distorted content passed the screening," referring to Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's general meeting of the Textbook Authorization Council and its claims to sovereignty over Dokdo.
In a condemnation statement issued that day under the name of Hwang Myeong-seok, acting governor of North Gyeongsang Province, the province said, "As the local government with jurisdiction over Ulleung County's Dokdo, we, together with residents, sternly condemn this," and stated accordingly.
That day, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology held the general meeting of the Textbook Authorization Council and finalized the results of the review of textbooks that frontline high schools will use starting in 2027. As with the textbooks that passed screening four years ago and are currently in use, most of the new high school politics and economics and geography inquiry textbooks carry the Japanese government's view asserting sovereignty over Dokdo.
The province said, "Dokdo is clearly Korea's inherent territory historically, geographically and under international law," adding, "Any attempt to continuously instill a distorted perception of territory must be clearly recognized as an act that undermines efforts to boost exchanges and build trust between Japan and Korea."
It continued, "Historical distortion through textbooks is a grave problem that seriously damages the next generation's understanding of history and international relations," and "We strongly urge the Japanese government to face historical facts and take the lead with a responsible attitude in opening a new era of mutual growth and cooperation between Japan and Korea."