ID :
197984
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 06:35
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https://oananews.org//node/197984
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Japan lawmakers face entry ban at Seoul airport, official says
(LEAD) SEOUL/TOKYO, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has notified Japan that it will slap an entry ban on Japanese lawmakers planning to visit an island near the South's easternmost islets of Dokdo, officials said Friday, in a move to thwart the controversial trip.
The planned trip by four lawmakers of Japan's opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to reignite a diplomatic conflict between Seoul and Tokyo, due to the latter's claims to the South Korean volcanic islets of Dokdo.
The four lawmakers were expected to arrive at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on Saturday on their way to visit Ulleung Island, located about 90 kilometers west of Dokdo, early next week on the trip that Seoul calls an attempt to renew Tokyo's territorial claims to the islets.
"We notified the Japanese government that we will enforce an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers if they insist on visiting Ulleung Island," a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said.
"Such a visit will be of no help to the development of relations between South Korea and Japan and could have a negative impact on bilateral diplomatic projects," the official said on the condition of anonymity.
This week, President Lee Myung-bak warned the Japanese lawmakers against visiting the island, saying their safety could be at risk. Seoul's foreign ministry has also repeatedly urged the Tokyo politicians to call off their travel plans.
The planned trip sparked outrage in South Korea, with foreign ministry officials expressing concern that the Tokyo lawmakers could be a target of angry civic groups.
South Korea has dismissed Japan's claims over Dokdo as nonsense because the country regained independence after Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Early on Friday, Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported that the LDP leadership will permit their lawmakers to visit Ulleung Island as planned.
The LDP emphasized that it would be a "personal visit," not formally associated with the party, the Japanese daily said.
The Japanese government has asked the lawmakers to refrain from such a controversial act, but also called on Seoul to guarantee their security if they press ahead with the trip, according to the report.
The planned trip by four lawmakers of Japan's opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to reignite a diplomatic conflict between Seoul and Tokyo, due to the latter's claims to the South Korean volcanic islets of Dokdo.
The four lawmakers were expected to arrive at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on Saturday on their way to visit Ulleung Island, located about 90 kilometers west of Dokdo, early next week on the trip that Seoul calls an attempt to renew Tokyo's territorial claims to the islets.
"We notified the Japanese government that we will enforce an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers if they insist on visiting Ulleung Island," a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said.
"Such a visit will be of no help to the development of relations between South Korea and Japan and could have a negative impact on bilateral diplomatic projects," the official said on the condition of anonymity.
This week, President Lee Myung-bak warned the Japanese lawmakers against visiting the island, saying their safety could be at risk. Seoul's foreign ministry has also repeatedly urged the Tokyo politicians to call off their travel plans.
The planned trip sparked outrage in South Korea, with foreign ministry officials expressing concern that the Tokyo lawmakers could be a target of angry civic groups.
South Korea has dismissed Japan's claims over Dokdo as nonsense because the country regained independence after Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Early on Friday, Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported that the LDP leadership will permit their lawmakers to visit Ulleung Island as planned.
The LDP emphasized that it would be a "personal visit," not formally associated with the party, the Japanese daily said.
The Japanese government has asked the lawmakers to refrain from such a controversial act, but also called on Seoul to guarantee their security if they press ahead with the trip, according to the report.
