Lee to make landmark visit to Dokdo

President Lee Myung-bak made a landmark visit to Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo on Friday, an unprecedented trip that unmistakably asserts Seoul's sovereignty over the territory and could send diplomatic tensions with Tokyo soaring.

Lee visited the rocky outcroppings lying in the East Sea around halfway between the Korean Peninsula and Japan from nearby Ulleung Island, a presidential official said on condition of anonymity.

The trip made Lee the first Korean president to visit the islets. It also comes days before South Korea observes Liberation Day on Wednesday to mark Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba recalled the country's ambassador to Seoul, Masatoshi Muto, in protest while filing official complaints with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Shin Kak-soo.

Gemba told Shin that Lee's visit to Dokdo was unacceptable in light of Japan's position, but the South Korean envoy maintained that the trip was part of an inspection visit to a provincial region and that Dokdo is South Korean territory over which Seoul exercises sovereignty.

Earlier in the day, Gemba urged South Korea to call off the Dokdo trip, warning that Tokyo would respond firmly to the move and the visit "would definitely have a large impact" on relations between the two countries.

Japanese media reported earlier that South Korea notified Tokyo of the planned visit, but officials in Seoul rejected those reports.

"Why do we have to notify Japan when our president goes to our territory?" an official said.

The environment and culture ministers accompanied Lee on the historic trip, officials said, adding that the president is expected to remark during the trip that Ulleung Island and Dokdo should be preserved well in an environment-friendly way.

South Korea's military tightened security around Dokdo.

"The military increased the number of Air Force combat planes and Navy vessels patrolling (near Dokdo)," a senior official said. "The military reinforced its forces to prepare in case of an emergency, as Lee is expected to visit Dokdo."

Japan has long laid claims to Dokdo in school textbooks, government reports and other ways, undercutting better ties between the neighboring nations. Last week, Japan renewed the claims in its annual defense "White Paper" report outlining the country's defense policy.

This week, Japan also lodged a protest about Seoul's diplomatic "White Paper" describing Dokdo as Korean territory, officials said. It was the first time Japan has raised protests over the diplomatic report.

South Koreans see those claims as amounting to denying Korea's rights because the country regained independence from colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea has kept a small police detachment on Dokdo since 1954.

The territorial claims have been viewed by South Koreans as a sign Japan has not fully repented for its imperialist past, along with Tokyo's refusal to address long-running grievances of elderly Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.

It is unclear why Lee chose to make a visit at this point, about six months before he leaves office in February, but aides said he has considered visiting the islets from the beginning of his term in early 2008, and actual plans have been in place.

"President Lee has tried to visit Dokdo a few times, but folded up the plans" due to various reasons, a senior secretary said on condition of anonymity.

Analysts said the Dokdo trip could affect exchange projects with Japan, such as now-stalled efforts to forge what would be their first-ever military pact and negotiations to work out a free trade agreement between two of Asia's largest economies.

The planned signing of the military information-sharing deal was put on hold at the last minute in late June as criticism rose sharply in South Korea following revelations the Cabinet covertly passed the delicate pact with the former colonial ruler.

"Relations between South Korea and Japan cannot but be strained," said Chin Chang-soo, a senior analyst on Korea-Japan affairs for the Sejong Institute think tank. "Tensions could last for a long time."

But others said the visit shows Seoul's firm intention to safeguard its sovereignty over Dokdo.

"This could be an opportunity to get Japanese political leaders to awaken to the fact that this is an issue serious enough for South Korea's president to take action," a retired diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

South Korea and Japan are key trade partners and cooperate closely in efforts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. But issues related to the colonial rule, including Dokdo, have been a drag on their relations. (Yonhap)