Japan Under Severe
Criticism Over Dokdo

President Lee calls for unity in dealing with Dokdo issue


Japan has come under severe criticism for claiming the easternmost islets of Dokdo as its territory, vowing it would reflect the fact in textbooks for middle school students.
An increasing number of Korean citizens have been expressing deep anger over Japan's ambition for the islets.
President Lee Myung-bak seems to have met another barricade due to brewing controversy over Japan's claiming of Dokdo, in addition to the shooting of a South Korean tourist by the North Korean military.
But on the other side of the story, Lee seems to have begun riding a favorable wave as the two recent incidents occurred through no fault of his own, especially compared with the bitter criticism over his administration's failure in dealing with the crucial beef import deal with the United States.
Many political pundits share the notion that once Lee manages to cope with the two recent cases, he may well be back on track in administering the nation.
Well wary of the sensitivity of the incidents, Lee called for national unity in dealing with them. He expressed concerns over a split in the society, reaffirming that the government will take stern actions against Japan and North Korea.
"Non-partisan and strategic actions are necessary to counter the attempts to cause a rift within our society,"Lee said at a weekly Cabinet meeting.
Lee said Tokyo's claim to the islets shows it is taking slow but steady steps to turn Dokdo into the site of an international territorial dispute.
"We need to take long-term and strategic countermeasures as far as Dokdo is concerned. We will consolidate our practical control of the islets,"Lee was quoted as saying by a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman.
On July 15, the presidential office accused the Japanese government of spreading false information on Lee's remarks on Dokdo during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on July 8. A leading Japanese newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, reported on July 14 that President Lee took an ambiguous posture on South Korea's sovereignty over the islets.
The Japanese government later denied that the report was based on fact, but opposition parties stepped up attacks on Lee and his aides.
Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the largest opposition Democratic Party, said on July 16 that Lee's handling of the Dokdo issue still leaves many questions despite denials by the two governments of the Yomiuri report.
"Lee should reflect on his policies regarding Dokdo and North Korea. He should acknowledge his faults if he did anything wrong,"Chung said at a forum in Seoul.
Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul-hyun met with Prime Minister Han Seung-soo to map out countermeasures against Tokyo's renewed claim to the islets.
Lee recalled Kwon late Tuesday to protest Japan's description of Dokdo as its territory in a revised teaching manual for middle school teachers, which will be used starting as early as next year.
During his temporary stay in Seoul, Kwon will also meet with Kim Sung-hwan, the chief presidential secretary on foreign and security affairs, and National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o.
During the Cabinet meeting, Lee made it clear that the Mt. Geumgang tour programs will not be resumed until the questions surrounding the July 11 shooting death of a South Korean female tourist are fully answered through an inter-Korean probe.
"The government's top priority is to safeguard the people and their lives. The Geumgang program should not be resumed until an inter-Korean team completes a thorough probe into the shooting death and North Korea offers a complete guarantee for the safety of tourists,"Lee said.
Japan's announcement claiming sovereignty over the Dokdo islets in new teaching manuals may just be a first step in a carefully orchestrated action plan, political observers said.
There are signs that indicate a coordinated action plan among Japanese officials and ministries to claim territorial rights over the islets, they said.
Some urged the Korean government to steer away from emotional responses and develop a comprehensive countermeasure to refute Japan's claim.
Following Monday's announcement, Japan's Ministry of Education and Culture, the office that oversees revisions for teaching materials, said it would adopt the new manuals by next year. Usually, such changes in manuals take four years to implement in schools.
It also unveiled a plan to update manuals for high schools as well. The office said it plans to make the revisions this year.
While Tokyo officials didn't specify whether they would include a claim over Dokdo, updated materials for high schools would most likely adopt the same guidelines used for middle schools, observers said.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Library of Congress in Washington is delaying a scheduled meeting to discuss whether it will drop the Korean name Dokdo in favor of the European name Liancourt Rocks.
The U.S. Library of Congress, the largest library in the world that also serves as a research division for Congress, has been mulling over whether it should stop using the name Dokdo in its authoritative guidelines distributed to libraries around the country. The name Liancourt Rocks comes from French travelers who first introduced the East Sea islets to Europe.
The library is postponing the meeting until it gathers further information from various interested parties, according to Yonhap News. The report also said the library may feel this is not an appropriate time to discuss the highly sensitive topic.
"I understand that the library has delayed the discussion in consideration of the sensitive timing when South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a diplomatic dispute over the Dokdo islets,"said a Library of Congress official, according to Yonhap.
Even in the online world, an increasing number of web sites are embracing the English name Liancourt Rocks over Dokdo.
Yonhap reported that as "a result of Japanese lobbying,"a growing number of websites and online references around the world are deciding to stop using the Korean name Dokdo when referring to the islets.
Some of the major online dictionary sites and Internet portals that stopped using the name Dokdo include yahoo.com, reference.com, infoplease.com and aol.bartleby.com, Yonhap reported.
Ironically enough, the recent dispute over Dokdo has been bringing two ideologically-different groups together against a common antagonist -- Japan. This seems to have evolved into a strengthening of much-needed national unity, which President Lee has called for. Conservative and progressive groups, who confronted each other over American beef imports, are now joining forces to protest Japan's claim to Dokdo and the shooting death of a South Korean tourist at North Korea's Mount Geumgang resort.
While they gathered at Seoul Plaza with two different opinions over the beef issue, they are now gathering in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul with a united voice to denounce the Japanese move.
Some 100 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a progressive umbrella union, criticized Japan's claim of the islets as its territory, as well as the Lee Myung-bak government's diplomacy.
"Japan's claim is apparently an aggressive act and Japan is still haunted by its past imperialism. We cannot forgive Japan, which plans such provocative behavior without reflection on its wartime atrocities,"the union said in its statement during a rally in front of the embassy Wednesday.
The group claimed that such an act was a result of President Lee's humiliating diplomacy.
About 300 members of the Korea Agent Orange Veterans'Association, a conservative civic group, called for Japan to scrap the description of Dokdo as its territory in a teaching guidebook for middle school teachers.
Both the conservative-leaning Korean Federation of Teachers'Associations and the progressive Korean Teachers and Education Workers'Union have decided to give special lectures on Dokdo to students starting the second semester.
The two groups are separately making handbooks about the easternmost islets, and are considering announcing a joint statement and having joint lectures.
"The subject of national history is being neglected at schools. We'll discuss ways to attach more importance to the subject,"Kim Dong-seok, the spokesman of the association said. Hyun In-cheol, the spokesman of the union, also said, "We'll form solidarity with any teachers"groups on the Dokdo issue, which is an historical, social and educational matter."Regarding the killing of tourist Park Wang-ja by a North Korean soldier at Mount Geumgang, both conservatives and progressives called for the government and tour operator Hyundai Asan to conduct a thorough investigation to find the truth. The veterans'association members rallied in front of the company building.
However, their opinions about the move differed. Conservative groups, including the New Right Union, demanded the government cease all aid to North Korea, while progressives claimed the government should resume efforts for a peaceful relationship with the North.
Despite the difference in opinion for coping with the recent issues, things seem to be better for President Lee Myung-bak, who has long been seeking a breakthrough from the political impasse caused by the haunting criticism over his government's failure in addressing the beef import deal with the United States. nw

President Lee Myung-bak presides over the National Security Council Meeting he called on July 18 for the first time since his inauguration to deal with such issues as Japan's recent claim over Dokdo islets and the murder of a South Korean tourist by North Korea at Mt. Geumgang.

Korean President Lee reviews an honor guard with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on May 27 as part of his state visit to China.

President Lee has a luncheon with members of Seoul Forum, a group of diplomatic experts on July 17.