"It is likely that Japan will further toughen its stance on Dokdo of South Korea, which is seen as comparatively weaker than China and Russia, which have also been locked in territorial disputes with Tokyo," said Park, a member of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee.

   "I wish my 'small' behavior would serve as an opportunity to exhibit the South Korean people's determination to defend Dokdo."

   It is the first time that a South Korean lawmaker has transferred his or her place of family register to Dokdo.

   Park then urged the Lee administration to deal more strongly with Japan's territorial claims, saying, "Japan's ceaseless claim to Dokdo should be dealt with sternly. It is regrettable that the Lee Myung-bak government doesn't appear to have serious awareness of the problem."

   South Korea has maintained a small Coast Guard unit on Dokdo since 1954 in a show of its effective control of the islets, but Japan has consistently claimed sovereignty over the territory rich in fish and hydrate gas.

   Dokdo lies just 90 kilometers east of Ulleung Island in the East Sea, while the closest Japanese territory of Oki Island in Shimane Prefecture is more than 160km away.

   Japanese school textbooks accused of laying claims to Dokdo and glorifying the country's wartime past have long been considered a thorn in relations between the two countries as resentment over Japan's colonial rule of Korea still runs deep here.

   Japan is conducting a review of 16 history and other middle school textbooks and is expected to announce its results in March or April, prompting officials in Seoul to express concern that the upcoming outcome of the review might worsen bilateral relations.

(Yonhap News)