(VOVworld) - According to South Korean media, a group of South Korean local assembly members announced Monday that they plan to erect a “comfort women” statue on the islets called Dokdo in South Korea which are claimed by Japan as Takeshima.

A“comfort women” statue outside the Japanese consulate in Busan, South Korea (Source: Yonhap/VNA)

This followed weeks of heightened tensions over the issue of the women procured for Japanese military brothels before and during World War II. Japanese Foreign Minister Kumio Kishida called the plan deplorable, and said Takeshima belongs to Japan based on history and international law. The same day, South Korea called on Japan to end its territorial claims on Dokdo. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said it called in a Japanese Embassy official to express its concerns and deliver a formal protest.