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South Korea to recall Japan envoy | South Korea to recall Japan envoy |
(about 1 hour later) | |
South Korea says it is to recall its envoy to Japan in the latest flare-up of tensions over disputed islands. | South Korea says it is to recall its envoy to Japan in the latest flare-up of tensions over disputed islands. |
The foreign ministry said Japan had reasserted its claim to the islands, which are under South Korean control in waters between the Asian neighbours. | The foreign ministry said Japan had reasserted its claim to the islands, which are under South Korean control in waters between the Asian neighbours. |
The fresh claim to Japanese ownership of the islands - known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan - was reportedly made in a book for teachers. | The fresh claim to Japanese ownership of the islands - known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan - was reportedly made in a book for teachers. |
The islands sit in rich fishing grounds which may also contain gas reserves. | The islands sit in rich fishing grounds which may also contain gas reserves. |
'Disappointment' | 'Disappointment' |
Ambassador Kwon Chul-hyun will return home temporarily after lodging a strong protest with Japan's foreign ministry, the Seoul foreign ministry said. | |
Japan's ambassador to Seoul, Toshinori Shigeie, would also be summoned, the ministry said. | |
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak expressed "deep disappointment and regret" about Tokyo's fresh claim of sovereignty over the islands, which South Korea says is made in a teacher's guide to middle-school textbooks. | |
President Lee has sought to cultivate better ties with Tokyo. In April he held the first full summit meeting between the two in three years. | |
Meanwhile in Tokyo, government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura said his government had been cautious about the phrasing of the guidelines, and called for calm. | |
"Needless to say, South Korea is an important neighbour for Japan," he said. | |
"We want to avoid a situation where Japan-South Korea relations are influenced by each and every issue, and I hope both sides will calmly respond." | |
Protests were seen at the Japanese embassy and elsewhere in Seoul, with riot police reportedly deployed in response. | |
Colonial past | |
The islands in question were subsumed under Japanese colonial rule along with the rest of Korea in the early 20th Century. | |
But there is a dispute as to whether they were covered by Japan's renunciation of sovereignty over its occupied territories following its defeat in World War II. | But there is a dispute as to whether they were covered by Japan's renunciation of sovereignty over its occupied territories following its defeat in World War II. |
Both countries say they have the stronger historical claim to the islands. | Both countries say they have the stronger historical claim to the islands. |
South Korea stations a small unit of maritime police on the rugged and treeless islands, which cover a total area of 18.7 hectares (46 acres). | |