Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo are drawing an increasing number of visitors driven by a patriotic sentiment fanned by Japan’s persistent sovereignty claims.

According to the authorities, the number of people who visited the islets since 2005, when they were made accessible to the public, broke the 1 million mark earlier this month.

While Dokdo draws up to 700 people each day, the numbers soared to over 3,000 on Independence Movement Day and on the Aug. 15 Liberation Day.

The Independence Movement Day, which falls on March 1, marks the 1919 movement calling for liberation from Japan’s colonial rule.

Since being opened to the public, Dokdo has become a favorite location for activists, politicians and the general public on days related to Japan’s 35-year colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

With Japan claiming to have sovereignty over the South Korean islets, Dokdo has become a de facto symbol of Koreans’ territorial and historical disputes with Japan.

The islets have provided the stage for demonstrations against Japan’s claims and its denial of wrongdoing against Koreans in the past.

The most recent political event came on Tuesday when the main opposition Democratic Party’s chairman and the members of its supreme council visited Dokdo to commemorate the 68th Liberation Day.

During the visit, DP chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil also raised concerns over rightwing movements in Japan and its apparent military ambitions.

“In addition to swinging to the right, Japan is showing signs of reviving militarism. I think this is a very serious provocation that could damage peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” Kim said.

“As Japan’s extreme rightwing politicians continue to make ludicrous comments, the Japanese government is even manipulating public opinion under the guise of opinion polls (claiming Dokdo as Japanese territory).”

While Dokdo is often used in campaigns to support Korea’s claims to the islets, an increasing number of organizations related to neither the islets nor political issues are choosing to hold various events at the East Sea location.

The Korea Basketball Association has chosen to hold basketball competitions on Dokdo for the past two years, while the Korea Taekkyon Federation held a tournament for taekkyeon ― a traditional Korean martial art ― there on Wednesday.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)