SEOUL, South Korea (UPDATE) – South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak landed Friday on remote islands disputed with Japan, according to Japanese news reports, on an unprecedented visit which stirred anger in Tokyo.
Jiji Press, quoting a Japanese foreign ministry official, said Lee had arrived at the rocky volcanic outcrops in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.
It would be the first-ever visit by a South Korean president to the islands, which have been disputed for decades between Seoul and former colonial ruler Tokyo.
The South has stationed a small coastguard detachment on them since 1954.
A Seoul presidential spokeswoman could not confirm whether Lee had arrived at Dokdo. He was visiting South Korea’s Ulleung island earlier Friday and was scheduled to fly by helicopter to nearby Dokdo if weather permitted.
In Tokyo, Japan said it summoned the South Korean envoy over Lee’s visit.
Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said any such trip “would have a great impact on Japan-South Korea relations” and Japan would “have to respond firmly.”
The presidential spokeswoman said Lee was scheduled to visit South Korea’s Ulleung island and would fly on by helicopter to nearby Dokdo if weather permitted.
South Korea and former colonial ruler Japan have disputed ownership of the Dokdo islands for decades. The South has stationed a small coastguard detachment on them since 1954.
Lee’s visit would come just days before the August 15 anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender, which ended its 35-year rule over Korea.
‘Extremely regrettable’
The spokeswoman denied Japanese media reports that Seoul notified Tokyo in advance of the trip. She told AFP there was no reason to notify Japan “of a visit to our territory.”
But Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura described the planned trip as “extremely regrettable” at a time when Tokyo was seeking “future-oriented” relations with Seoul.
“I want South Korea to maintain self-restraint,” Fujimura said in Tokyo.
It was unclear how long Lee would stay on Dokdo if the visit went ahead. The spokeswoman said his journey had been under consideration for a considerable time and there was no particular reason why it was being made now.
South Korea last week summoned a senior Japanese diplomat to strongly protest his country’s renewed claim to the islands in its latest defense white paper.
Earlier in July it was Tokyo’s turn to protest when a South Korean rammed his truck into the main gate of Japan’s embassy in Seoul. He was reacting to an earlier demonstration in the city by a rightwing Japanese activist.
South Korea has announced it will stage a regular military exercise near the islands in mid-August, reportedly involving some 10 warships, plus F-15K fighter jets and other weaponry.
Many older Koreans have bitter memories of Japan’s brutal colonial rule, and historical disputes still mar their relationship despite close economic ties.
In June, Seoul at the last minute shelved the signing of a military information sharing agreement with Japan following Korean protests.
Seoul is also irked at Tokyo’s refusal to compensate elderly Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.
Ill-advised trip?
One South Korean political analyst said Lee’s planned trip was an over-reaction to diplomatic strains and should have been considered more thoroughly.
Strategically, the president’s visit to Dokdo would be one of the strongest actions he could take, Jin Chang-Soo of the Sejong Institute think-tank told AFP.
“In the long term, considering there will be many problems, I doubt whether this is the right time to play this card,” he said.
Jin said Japan was currently unstable, engaged in territorial disputes with other countries, “and we’ve just added fuel to the fire. What good can it do?”
Dokdo is composed of two main islets and 35 smaller rocks and covers a land area of 18.7 hectares (46.3 acres). Apart from the coastguards there are two civilian residents, an elderly man and his wife.
Lee’s five-year presidential term ends next February and he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. Voters will choose his successor in December. – Agence France-Presse
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