"Our government is closely watching the relevant developments," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Cho June-hyuck said at a regular press briefing here. "If the media report turns out to be true, our position is that we will not tolerate Japan's unjustifiable sovereignty claims over Dokdo, which belongs to South Korea."

He added that the Japanese government should withdraw the plan immediately.

Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a source of tension between the neighbors. South Korea has kept a small police detachment on the islets since 1954 and has made clear that Tokyo's claims are utterly groundless.

Diplomatic tension between the two neighbors has deepened recently amid Tokyo's repeated claims over the islets.

The Dokdo issue has also been intertwined with a row over a girl statue recently installed in front of Japan's consulate in South Korea's southern port city of Busan. The statue, the second of its kind after the one set up in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, has been a sensitive issue for Tokyo as it symbolizes its wartime sexual slavery of Korean women.

Japan is demanding its immediate removal, while the South Korean government is keeping its distance, saying that it does not have the authority to interfere with actions taken by a civic group. In protest, Tokyo recalled its ambassador to Seoul. The top envoy has been absent from his post for more than 20 days.

In particular, Japan has been renewing its territorial claims over Dokdo since a provincial council here pushed to install yet another statue on the islets. On Wednesday, the governor of North Gyeongsang Province, which has administrative jurisdiction over Dokdo, visited the islets, drawing strong protest from Japan. (Yonhap)