Japanese man summoned over ‘Dokdo’ post

Prosecutors said Wednesday they have notified a Japanese suspect he faces questioning later this month for setting up a provocative wooden post in central Seoul to lay claim to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.

Nobuyuki Suzuki, known as a conservative activist, allegedly tied a post with the phrase, “Dokdo is Japanese territory” to a symbolic statue of a wartime Korean sex slave in front of the Japanese embassy in downtown Seoul in June.

He then took photos and made a recording of the scene, but the post was quickly removed by police prior to their launching an investigation, according to the officers.

The statue of a young girl was set up in December by former sex slaves and their supporters to symbolize Korean women who were forced into Japanese military brothels during World War II.

A subpoena was sent to an office of Suzuki’s right-wing party in Tokyo to order him to appear before the prosecution for questioning on Sept. 18, prosecutors said.

If Suzuki fails to show on the designated day, the authorities here plan to ask Japan for his extradition, they added. (Yonhap News)