S. Korea to bolster control over disputed isles

SEOUL–South Korea will work to strengthen its control over islands disputed with Japan, President Lee Myung-Bak said Friday, days after Tokyo angered Seoul by reasserting its claim.

“We will continue with our measures to bolster control” over the islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Lee told a press conference.
He did not elaborate. Yonhap news agency said Thursday the South has begun work to renovate a heliport on the tiny islands, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

The islands have been administered for decades by Seoul, which posts a small coastguard detachment there.

Tokyo on Wednesday authorized a dozen school textbooks reasserting its claim, a move which sparked a protest from Seoul’s foreign ministry.
Approval for the textbooks was seen by some South Koreans as a slap in the face, since it came amid an outpouring of sympathy and support for Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami there.

Lee said the rocky outcrops were “our territory”, but indicated that support for Japan in its current crisis should continue regardless of the dispute.
South Koreans have donated 21.3 billion won ($19.1 million) in two weeks to a Red Cross appeal for their crisis-stricken neighbour — a record for an appeal following an overseas disaster.