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SEOUL - South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo on Sunday accused Japan of damaging bilateral ties and putting regional peace at risk with its renewed claim to a group of Seoul-controlled islets.
Han, meeting with ruling party lawmakers, rejected Tokyo's new education guidelines calling for "a deeper understanding" of Japan's claims to the islets -- called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea -- lying midway between them.
"This is not only damaging the amicable South Korea-Japan relationship... but also undermining peace in Northeast Asia by letting the future generations repeat the distorted history," Han said.
In protest, South Korea last week recalled its ambassador to Japan and rejected Japan's proposal for foreign ministerial talks on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Singapore this coming week.
Angry South Koreans have almost daily held protest rallies at the heavily-guarded Japanese embassy in Seoul, with some last week beheading live pheasants, Japan's national bird.
In the southern city of Busan, an association of civic groups launched a campaign to boycott Japanese cars.
The Seoul metro has withdrawn a series of adverts promoting Japanese condoms.South Korea stations a small unit of maritime police on the rugged and treeless islands.
Japan claimed them in 1905 after winning a war with Russia in the region.
It went on to annex the entire Korean peninsula from 1910 until its 1945 defeat in World War II.
“Dokdo belongs to Korea historically, geographically and in terms of international laws," Han said reiterating Seoul's position.
“There is no question about our sovereign rights to Dokdo because we effectively control it."
Han said Seoul would work out a long-term strategic plan to "further strengthen the effective control" of the islets, calling for bipartisan support from parliament in handling the issue. - AFP/vm
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