SEOUL - The Republic of Korea on Saturday protested at Japan's repeated territorial claims to the disputed islets lying halfway between the two countries, called Dokdo by the ROK and Takeshima by Japan.

The ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that its government strongly protested against Japan's unjust repeated sovereignty claims over Dokdo, which is an integral part of the ROK territory historically, geographically and under international law.

The ministry also expressed a strong protest against the attendance of a high-level Japanese government official at the "Takeshima Day" event hosted by Shimane Prefecture.

The prefecture has held annual events to claim its administrative sovereignty over the rocky islets since it designated Feb 22 as Takeshima Day in 2005.

The islets, covering an area of about 0.18 square kilometers, are claimed by the ROK, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Japan. The ROK currently controls the islets.