ID :
184187
Tue, 05/24/2011 - 19:54
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/184187
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean lawmakers visit Russian-held island claimed by Japan
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, May 24 Kyodo - Three South Korean lawmakers visited on Tuesday one of the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan off Hokkaido despite concerns expressed by the Japanese government about the ramifications their visit would have on the long-standing territorial dispute.
Kang Chang Il of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party and two fellow lawmakers flew to Kunashiri Island via Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, capital of Russia's Far Eastern province of Sakhalin, in the afternoon, marking the first such trip by South Korean lawmakers, according to a South Korean parliamentary group they belong to.
The group, headed by Kang, has campaigned for Seoul's sovereignty over islets in the Sea of Japan that are controlled by South Korea but also claimed by Japan and political observers say the trip is apparently aimed at highlighting South Korea's claim on the islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
The lawmakers toured areas around the airport for about 50 minutes before flying back to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, according to the group. They are due back in South Korea on Wednesday.
The lawmakers said before the visit they were to inspect the actual state of Russia's control over the island claimed by both Russia and Japan.
The trip, which was made possible after the lawmakers obtained Russian visas, drew an immediate response from the Japanese government, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano expressing deep regret over the visit, calling it ''unacceptable,'' during a news conference Tuesday.
Edano said later that Tokyo has confirmed that ''the South Korean government does not take a stance incompatible with Japan's basic (position).''
In Seoul, Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Masatoshi Muto lodged a formal protest with Park Suk Hwan, South Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs and trade, over the lawmakers' visit to the disputed island, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Muto told Park that the four islands are ''an integral part of Japan'' and that it is ''totally unacceptable'' that the lawmakers obtained Russian visas to travel to the island by admitting Moscow's control over the territory.
The envoy said such an act is ''very regrettable'' as it ''hurts the feelings of Japanese nationals'' and urged Seoul to take appropriate measures to prevent further visits to the contested islands by South Korean lawmakers.
Park said the South Korean government ''has nothing to do with'' the travel to Kunashiri by the opposition lawmakers, according to the Japanese ministry.
Before his departure, Kang told Kyodo News by telephone he intended to survey the frontline of a ''territorial conflict'' between Japan and Russia.
''I want to see firsthand the reality of (Russia's) effective control to protect (South Korea's) territorial right to Dokdo,'' he said.
The three lawmakers left South Korea on Sunday, meeting with experts on territorial issues in Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Kang Chang Il of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party and two fellow lawmakers flew to Kunashiri Island via Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, capital of Russia's Far Eastern province of Sakhalin, in the afternoon, marking the first such trip by South Korean lawmakers, according to a South Korean parliamentary group they belong to.
The group, headed by Kang, has campaigned for Seoul's sovereignty over islets in the Sea of Japan that are controlled by South Korea but also claimed by Japan and political observers say the trip is apparently aimed at highlighting South Korea's claim on the islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
The lawmakers toured areas around the airport for about 50 minutes before flying back to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, according to the group. They are due back in South Korea on Wednesday.
The lawmakers said before the visit they were to inspect the actual state of Russia's control over the island claimed by both Russia and Japan.
The trip, which was made possible after the lawmakers obtained Russian visas, drew an immediate response from the Japanese government, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano expressing deep regret over the visit, calling it ''unacceptable,'' during a news conference Tuesday.
Edano said later that Tokyo has confirmed that ''the South Korean government does not take a stance incompatible with Japan's basic (position).''
In Seoul, Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Masatoshi Muto lodged a formal protest with Park Suk Hwan, South Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs and trade, over the lawmakers' visit to the disputed island, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Muto told Park that the four islands are ''an integral part of Japan'' and that it is ''totally unacceptable'' that the lawmakers obtained Russian visas to travel to the island by admitting Moscow's control over the territory.
The envoy said such an act is ''very regrettable'' as it ''hurts the feelings of Japanese nationals'' and urged Seoul to take appropriate measures to prevent further visits to the contested islands by South Korean lawmakers.
Park said the South Korean government ''has nothing to do with'' the travel to Kunashiri by the opposition lawmakers, according to the Japanese ministry.
Before his departure, Kang told Kyodo News by telephone he intended to survey the frontline of a ''territorial conflict'' between Japan and Russia.
''I want to see firsthand the reality of (Russia's) effective control to protect (South Korea's) territorial right to Dokdo,'' he said.
The three lawmakers left South Korea on Sunday, meeting with experts on territorial issues in Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
