Liancourt Rocks (also known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan) are a group of islets 215km from mainland Korea and 250kms from Japan. Their total area is approxiamtely 187,450 sq.m. and the highest point is at 169 metres. Liancourt Rocks is composed primarily of two islets (Seodo and Dongdo in Korean, Nishi-jima and Higashi-jima in Japanese). The western islet is the larger of the two islets. Japan and South Korea both lay claim to the islands and are in an ongoing territorial dispute over their sovereignty. The Republic of Korea maintains a watchtower and living facilities on the East Islet for its Police Guards, whilst the West Islet is permanent home to two Korean residents.