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Yonhap, Park Ji-ho/AP
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon
Chul-hyun
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon
Chul-hyun
South Korea Recalls Ambassador to Japan Over Island Claim
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A territorial dispute over a long-contested set of small islands threatens to upset diplomatic ties between the two countries.
30-Second Summary
The South Korean government announced Monday that it is recalling its ambassador to Tokyo, following the release in Japan of an educational guidebook for junior high school teachers that makes claim to the islands.
The rocky island group, called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, is located in the Sea of Japan, which South Korea refers to as the East Sea. The largely uninhabited islands are surrounded by fishing grounds and may lie over undersea deposits of valuable natural gas hydrate.
Kwon Chul-hyun, the South Korean ambassador to Japan, is to make a protest to the Japanese government before returning to Korea.
The government of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, which has made it a goal to improve relations with Japan, called the book’s claim “intolerable,” according to an International Herald Tribune report.
“This is something we can never accept. Thus we protest strongly to the Japanese government and demand that it immediately make a correction,” said Mun Tae-young, spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry, according to the International Herald Tribune.
The Japanese claim has set off public protests in South Korea. In addition, several politicians gathered on the islands on Monday and made statements denouncing Japan.
In 2005, public uproar over a statement made by the Japanese ambassador about the islands included one protester’s fatal jump off a bridge, according to a BBC report.
The rocky island group, called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, is located in the Sea of Japan, which South Korea refers to as the East Sea. The largely uninhabited islands are surrounded by fishing grounds and may lie over undersea deposits of valuable natural gas hydrate.
Kwon Chul-hyun, the South Korean ambassador to Japan, is to make a protest to the Japanese government before returning to Korea.
The government of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, which has made it a goal to improve relations with Japan, called the book’s claim “intolerable,” according to an International Herald Tribune report.
“This is something we can never accept. Thus we protest strongly to the Japanese government and demand that it immediately make a correction,” said Mun Tae-young, spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry, according to the International Herald Tribune.
The Japanese claim has set off public protests in South Korea. In addition, several politicians gathered on the islands on Monday and made statements denouncing Japan.
In 2005, public uproar over a statement made by the Japanese ambassador about the islands included one protester’s fatal jump off a bridge, according to a BBC report.
Headline Links: South Korea recalls its ambassador to Japan
The Korean foreign ministry also expressed its outrage to the Japanese ambassador in Seoul, Toshinori Shigeie.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Korea’s political parties, including the ruling Grand National Party, denounced Japan on Monday, and several politicians led protests on the islands. “Should Japan carry on with its scheme, Korea-Japan relations will never be the same,” said GNP party member Hong Joon-pyo.
Source: The Korea Times
Background: ‘South Koreans Vent Fury at Japan’
In March 2005, the Japanese ambassador restated Tokyo’s claim to the islands during a news conference, setting off a wave of angry protests in Seoul. “Overwhelmed by fury, protesters have sliced off fingers, set themselves on fire, and in one case committed suicide by jumping off a bridge,” reported the BBC.
Source: The BBC
Opinion & Analysis: The Japanese press, the Korean press
“The Takeshima islets are an integral part of our nation’s territory historically and by international law. This is the position the Japanese government has steadfastly maintained,” writes Japanese paper The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Korea Times writes, “Japan’s sovereignty claim over the islets is none other than an attempt to revive its past militarism and imperialism. … We have no choice but to express our deep concern about the Japanese move that runs counter to the universal values of peace, reconciliation and co-prosperity.”
Source: The Korea Times
Reference: History of the islands
The dispute dates back to World War II, which brought the end of Japan’s colonial of the Korean peninsula. Japan says that when it lost territorial claims on South Korea, the islands were not included as a part of Korea. South Korea says records indicate that the islands have been part of Korean territory since 512; Japan claims to have governed them in the mid-17th century.
Source: Reuters
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