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South Korean Prime Minister Han
Seung-soo (R2) sets up a stone monument with the words "Dokdo belongs to
Korea" on the islets of Dokdo, on July 29, 2008. Han Seung-soo visited the
disputed islets of Dokdo, which Japan also claims territorial sovereignty
and calls Takeshima, in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Tuesday, South
Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. This is the first time that South
Korean Prime Minister visits the islets in history. (Xinhua
Photo)
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Gallery>>> |
By
Li Zhengyu
SEOUL, July 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Prime
Minister Han Seung-soo visited the disputed islets of Dokdo, which Japan also
claims sovereignty and calls Takeshima, in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on
Tuesday, drawing more attentions to the territorial dispute between Seoul and
Tokyo.
PROTEST AGAINST JAPAN'S
TERRITORIAL CLAIM
Han was the first South Korean prime minister to
visit the islets of Dokdo, which is located some 89 km southeast to South
Korea's Uleung Island and 160 km northwest to Japan's Oki Island.
During his one-day visit, which Japan identified as its territory in its middle school guidebook for teachers in mid-July, Han set up a stone monument with the words "Dokdo belongs to Korea" on the islets. Local media said the move was conducted in protest against Japan's claim to the Dokdo.
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South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo shakes hands with police guards stationing on the islets of Dokdo, on July 29, 2008. Xinhua Photo)
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"Dokdo is the son of our country, and historically,
geographically and legally belongs to us. It cannot be taken away by anyone,"
the prime minister was quoted as saying in the islets by local media.
Han, accompanied by culture and transportation
ministers, inspected the small islets, on which only two South Koreans register
to live permanently, and met with police guards stationing there.
"Thank you for your labor and effort to safeguard our
land," Han told the police guards.
S KOREAN-U.S. SUMMIT TO
DISCUSS DOKDO ISSUE
Han's visit came after the U.S. Board on Geographic
Names (BGN)changed the description over Dokdo from the previous "islets under
South Korea's control" to "an area of undesignated sovereignty, " which adds
South Korean government's worries that the Dokdo might be regarded
internationally as disputed land.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted unnamed South
Korean Foreign Ministry official as saying that South Korea is to raise the
Dokdo issue onto agenda of the upcoming summit between South Korea and the
United States.
U.S. President George W. Bush is set to visit Seoul
on Aug. 5-6and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak.
"President Lee will raise the issue," Yonhap said,
quoting unnamed senior official of the Foreign Ministry.
Bush is expected to face massive street protests over
the U.S. stance on Dokdo as well as over the resumption of U.S. beef imports to
South Korea, Yonhap said.
PM APPEALS FOR
CALMNESS
The latest confrontation between South Korea and
Japan over the islets has greatly wrecked the bilateral ties of the two
neighbors and triggered massive protests in South Korea.
Following Japan's decision of defining Dokdo as part
of Japanese territory in a teacher's guidebook on July 14 despite South Korea's
repeated opposition, South Korea recalled its ambassador to Tokyo and is taking
a series of countermeasures to strengthen sovereignty control over Dokdo.
However, Han said at Dokdo that South Korea must
"keep calm" over the issue.
"It is important that we remain composed, as
excessive and emotional reactions will only trigger international disputes.
Let's be rational and use this incident as a chance to make clear to the outside
world that Dokdo belongs to us," he said.
Although the Lee Myung-bak's administration has expressed strong condemnation over Japan's challenge to the sovereignty of Dokdo, it seems that South Korean government prefers a quiet control over the islets to developing the issue into a dispute on international courts.
S Korea to recall its ambassador to
Japan over islands dispute
SEOUL, July 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea will recall its
ambassador to Japan after Japan intensified its claim to the ownership of a
group of islands controlled by Seoul, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said
Monday. Full story
S Korea denounces Japan's territorial
claim over disputed islets
SEOUL, July 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday strongly
denounced Japan's territorial claim over the disputed islets of Dokdo, which
Japan calls Takeshima, in the Sea of Japan, vowing to take series of
countermeasures against Japan's move. Full story
