The removal of miniaturized structures of South Korea's Dokdo islets on display at some subway stations in Seoul has sparked controversy, prompting the subway operator to promise that they will be replaced with upgraded models. Seoul Metro announced Thursday it plans to replace the Dokdo structures installed at City Hall Station, Gimpo International Airport Station and Itaewon Station with new exhibits. The announcement came a day after some local media reported on the removal of the three-dimensional miniaturized models of the country's easternmost outcroppings at Jamsil Station and Anguk Station, last week and earlier this week, respectively. The recent removal of the structures has raised question as the removal took place days before the country was to celebrate the annual Liberation Day marking the end of the 1910-45 colonial rule by Japan. Dokdo has been a longstanding thorny issue between South Korea and Japan, as Tokyo asserts territorial claims to the islets. Seoul Metro said the new Dokdo struc tures will be framed and hung on the walls. Seoul Metro said it made the decision to remove the structures because it had obstructed the movement of subway users, but criticism quickly circulated across social media and other online communities as the removal was belatedly made known. Seoul Metro also removed the Dokdo model at Gwanghwamun Station in central Seoul in May, but no replacement has been installed. Source: Yonhap News Agency