Built to last: The Dokdo territorial controversy. The baseline conditions in domestic politics and international security of Japan and South Korea

Abstract

The baseline conditions in domestic politics and international security of Japan and South Korea compel these countries to deal with historical issues in provocative terms, with each side alienating the other. The current status of the Dokdo controversy between Japan and South Korea has remained largely unchanged since 1965, when the two countries signed the diplomatic normalization treaty: Japan continues its protest that South Korea has unlawfully occupied the islands, and South Korea responds that there is no dispute to be settled with Japan regarding the sovereign status of the islands. The path dependency from the past and domestic political institutions continue to deprive top decision makers in Japan and South Korea of political autonomy to move beyond the 1965 formula in addressing the issue of Dokdo in productive and forward-looking ways. Resolving the controversy would require a critical rupture in order to transform the current baseline conditions inherent in the Dokdo issue.