ID :
194989
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/194989
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea slams Japan's measure against Korean Air over Dokdo
(LEAD) SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea expressed "strong regret and disappointment" over the Japanese government's measure against Korean Air over the airline's special flight last month above the Dokdo islets, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the measure.
Japan's foreign ministry has instructed its officials to refrain from taking Korean Air flights for one month from Monday in protest of the airline's flight by its first Airbus A380. Japanese embassy officials in Seoul also visited Korean Air this week to protest the flight.
"The Japanese measure, regarded as a sort of sanction against a private company, can hardly be understood," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters.
"In this context, we delivered our strong regret and disappointment and called for Japan to immediately withdraw the measure," Cho said.
Cho said the South Korean government will take "stern" measures regarding the issue, but didn't specify what measures it would take.
"We will watch what measures Japan will take," the spokesman said.
Officials at Korean Air said they had no comment on the issue, calling it a matter between the governments of South Korea and Japan.
Japan's claims over the Dokdo islets in the East Sea have long been a thorn in relations between Seoul and Tokyo.
South Korea rejects the claims as nonsense because the country regained independence from Japan's 35-year colonial rule in 1945 and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Tension between South Korea and Japan resurfaced in April after Japan's Cabinet approved the "Diplomatic Blue Paper" report for 2011 with claims to the islets, and its education ministry approved a series of school textbooks claiming the islets as Japanese territory.
Japan's foreign ministry has instructed its officials to refrain from taking Korean Air flights for one month from Monday in protest of the airline's flight by its first Airbus A380. Japanese embassy officials in Seoul also visited Korean Air this week to protest the flight.
"The Japanese measure, regarded as a sort of sanction against a private company, can hardly be understood," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters.
"In this context, we delivered our strong regret and disappointment and called for Japan to immediately withdraw the measure," Cho said.
Cho said the South Korean government will take "stern" measures regarding the issue, but didn't specify what measures it would take.
"We will watch what measures Japan will take," the spokesman said.
Officials at Korean Air said they had no comment on the issue, calling it a matter between the governments of South Korea and Japan.
Japan's claims over the Dokdo islets in the East Sea have long been a thorn in relations between Seoul and Tokyo.
South Korea rejects the claims as nonsense because the country regained independence from Japan's 35-year colonial rule in 1945 and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Tension between South Korea and Japan resurfaced in April after Japan's Cabinet approved the "Diplomatic Blue Paper" report for 2011 with claims to the islets, and its education ministry approved a series of school textbooks claiming the islets as Japanese territory.
