South Korea visits disputed islets, upsets Japan

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's president on Friday made a surprise election-year visit to islets also claimed by Japan, which quickly reasserted its sovereignty there, recalled its ambassador from Seoul and warned that the trip would worsen the countries' strained relations.

President Lee Myung-bak's trip to the tiny, rocky outcroppings between the countries was the first by a South Korean president, officials in his office said. It came as his popularity is dropping and his conservative party jockeys for votes ahead of a presidential election in December. Lee is nearing the end of his single, five-year term and cannot run for re-election.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told reporters the largely uninhabited islets surrounded by fish-rich waters are "our sovereign territory."

"This is completely unacceptable," Noda said. "It is deeply regrettable." He said Japan's ambassador to Seoul was being called to Tokyo. Japanese officials also called Seoul's representative in Tokyo to hear Japan's complaints.

Lee's visit came on the eve of the men's bronze medal Olympic soccer match between Japan and South Korea and ahead of South Korea's commemoration Wednesday of the peninsula's independence in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.

Lee placed his hand on a rock carving that says "South Korean territory" during the visit to the islets -- called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. He also told police officers there that the islets are "worth sacrificing lives for," according to his office.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba strongly protested. "It is incomprehensible why he would make this trip at this time," Gemba said.

Japan and South Korea share vibrant trade and tourism ties, are strong U.S. allies and are partners in diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its long-range missile and nuclear arms programs.

But many people on the Korean Peninsula harbor deep resentment stemming from Japan's brutal colonization.