ID :
183334
Fri, 05/20/2011 - 12:33
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/183334
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S. Korean lawmakers to visit disputed Kuril islands
SEOUL/TOKYO, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Korean lawmakers will visit one of a chain of islands claimed by both Japan and Russia over the weekend to seek better ways to counter Tokyo's claim to Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, an opposition lawmaker said Friday.
Rep. Kang Chang-il of the Democratic Party (DP) and two other lawmakers will embark on a four-day trip on Sunday to the Kuril islands to study how Russia handles territorial disputes with Tokyo and meet experts in the regions, his office said.
Russia refers to the islands as the Southern Kuril, while Japan calls them the Northern Territories. Russian president Dmitri Medvedev visited one of the southern Kuril islands in November, escalating a diplomatic row with Japan.
"We will look into the territorial disputes between the two nations and how they handle them so as to find ways to protect Dokdo," said Kang, who chairs a special committee on Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets in East Sea.
Their planned visit follows Japan's renewed campaign to lay claim to Dokdo. In March, Tokyo approved a set of new middle school textbooks referring to the rocky islets as its territory, reigniting uproar among South Koreans.
Tokyo responded uncomfortably to the move by the Korean lawmakers.
"We are currently investigating the facts. If true, it is regrettable and the government will take action accordingly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano said in a briefing in Tokyo.
The Korean legislators will also pay a visit to Koreans living in Sakhalin and Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, which served as the center for the Korean independence movement against the 1910-45 Japanese rule.
Historical documents show that Japan forced about 150,000 Koreans to work on Sakhalin Island in coal mines, pulp mills and other military facilities during World War II.
Rep. Kang Chang-il of the Democratic Party (DP) and two other lawmakers will embark on a four-day trip on Sunday to the Kuril islands to study how Russia handles territorial disputes with Tokyo and meet experts in the regions, his office said.
Russia refers to the islands as the Southern Kuril, while Japan calls them the Northern Territories. Russian president Dmitri Medvedev visited one of the southern Kuril islands in November, escalating a diplomatic row with Japan.
"We will look into the territorial disputes between the two nations and how they handle them so as to find ways to protect Dokdo," said Kang, who chairs a special committee on Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets in East Sea.
Their planned visit follows Japan's renewed campaign to lay claim to Dokdo. In March, Tokyo approved a set of new middle school textbooks referring to the rocky islets as its territory, reigniting uproar among South Koreans.
Tokyo responded uncomfortably to the move by the Korean lawmakers.
"We are currently investigating the facts. If true, it is regrettable and the government will take action accordingly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano said in a briefing in Tokyo.
The Korean legislators will also pay a visit to Koreans living in Sakhalin and Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, which served as the center for the Korean independence movement against the 1910-45 Japanese rule.
Historical documents show that Japan forced about 150,000 Koreans to work on Sakhalin Island in coal mines, pulp mills and other military facilities during World War II.
