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South Korea to recall envoy to Japan in island row

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-07-14 16:36

SEOUL - South Korea said on Monday it will recall its ambassador to Japan to protest against a sovereignty claim made by Tokyo in an island dispute between the Asian neighbours.

A protester surrounded by police holds a banner during an anti-Japan protest against Japan's sovereignty claim over a group of desolate volcanic islets Seoul and Pyongyang call Dokdo and Tokyo calls Takeshima, in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul July 14, 2008. [Agencies]

South Korean officials said the Japanese government had informed Seoul that Tokyo would refer in school instruction guidelines to the islands, which it calls Takeshima, as part of Japanese territory.

South Korea, which calls the islands Dokdo, says that the rocky islets are a part of its territory. It maintains a police presence on the islands located in waters between the two.