ID :
198019
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 10:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198019
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea protests Japanese lawmakers' plan to visit island near Dokdo
(ATTN: UPDATES with South Korea summoning Japanese ambassador in paras 1-2; AMENDS para 5; CHANGES headline)
SEOUL/TOKYO, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea lodged a formal protest Friday over a planned visit by Japanese lawmakers to an island near the South's easternmost islets of Dokdo, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-shin called in Japanese Ambassador Muto Masatoshi earlier in the day and notified the Japanese envoy that South Korea will slap an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
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.
Two of the Japanese officials had planned to cancel their visits, but decided to press ahead, according to a Japanese report that emerged today.
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. Seoul calls the trip an attempt to renew Tokyo's territorial claims to the islets.
Another ministry official said earlier in the day that South Korea "notified the Japanese government that we will enforce an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers if they insist on visiting Ulleung Island."
"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.
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 pressed ahead with the trip, according to the report.
SEOUL/TOKYO, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea lodged a formal protest Friday over a planned visit by Japanese lawmakers to an island near the South's easternmost islets of Dokdo, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-shin called in Japanese Ambassador Muto Masatoshi earlier in the day and notified the Japanese envoy that South Korea will slap an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
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.
Two of the Japanese officials had planned to cancel their visits, but decided to press ahead, according to a Japanese report that emerged today.
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. Seoul calls the trip an attempt to renew Tokyo's territorial claims to the islets.
Another ministry official said earlier in the day that South Korea "notified the Japanese government that we will enforce an entry ban on the Japanese lawmakers if they insist on visiting Ulleung Island."
"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.
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 pressed ahead with the trip, according to the report.
