Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se appears to be facing the biggest crisis since his swearing-in early last year, coming under fire for his reported opposition to the establishment of evacuation facilities on the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.

Last Saturday, the government retracted a 3 billion won ($2.74 million) public tender for a contractor to build a shelter, power generator and desalination system in a two-story building.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the project needed further review given concerns over safety management, international maritime law and environmental and cultural impact. 

With the islets repeatedly claimed by Japan, Yun was bombarded with criticism after a news report emerged that he was at the forefront of the cancellation, saying the plan may provoke Tokyo and rekindle diplomatic brawls. Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition camps on Thursday blasted what they called his “low-posture” diplomacy, demanding his resignation.

The project was initiated in 2008 as part of Seoul’s efforts to bolster its control over the islets amid Tokyo’s increasing assertion and faltering public sentiment here. Yet its implementation has repeatedly been postponed in the face of stiff opposition from various agencies including the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Environment Ministry.

The latest controversy, however, was exacerbated by the government’s bungled handling of the decision.

The ministerial meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, convening top policymakers from the ministries of foreign affairs, oceans, land, tourism, and security and public administration. Mindful of the volatility of Japan relations, other ministries in charge dodged behind the curtain, leaking sensitive remarks from the session and passing the buck to Yun.

The composition of the members of the meeting was deemed unbalanced in the first place, lacking those from key stakeholders such as the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Environment Ministry.

Instead of seeking to sidestep any furor by holding a covert weekend gathering and watering down the choice as a “suspension,” the government should have conducted a comprehensive study on the plan’s environmental and legal impact and explained it to the public.

Under international law, any step or measure taken after a country claims sovereignty over another’s territory is regarded of little to no help for the current occupier to reinforce its control.

As Japan is believed to see any further alternation of the status quo as a “red line,” a launch of new facilities could rather backfire on Korea by prompting the hawkish Shinzo Abe administration to try to take the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The two countries’ relations, which plunged following former President Lee Myung-bak’s controversial visit to Dokdo in August 2012, would indeed hit another low.

As tourists continue to swarm, concerns are also growing over not only their safety but also a possible environmental degradation. Since Dokdo was opened to the public in 2005, the number of visitors has surged gradually, topping a record 250,000 last year, according to North Gyeongsang Province.

The windswept outcrops are subject to recurrent, often severe natural disasters. In the aftermath of the typhoon Bolaven in 2012, Western Islet saw major soil runoff, while a raft of cracks were found on Eastern Islet. The foundation of the volcanic rocks is geologically so feeble that visitors are not allowed to step on Western Islet.

Chung on Friday belatedly strove to pick up the pieces, apologizing for “appearing to have caused confusion” during a parliamentary questioning.

It may be time for a fundamental overhaul of the Dokdo policy based on a coolheaded assessment of the overall situation. Neither Seoul’s sovereignty nor the islets’ environmental and cultural values ought to be compromised for the sake of populism.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)