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South Korea rebuffs Japan's warnings, begins sea survey

Tension was building between South Korea and Japan yesterday after Seoul dispatched an ocean survey ship to a group of disputed islets despite Tokyo's repeated warnings not to do so.

South Korea's coast guard, on alert since the ship departed from the southern port of Busan late on Sunday, increased patrols near the islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Japan has warned against the sea survey in waters near the rocky islets, controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo, which are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.

"We ask the South Korean government to refrain from making the survey," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said in a renewed call for Seoul to abandon the plan.

South Korea's National Oceanographic Research Institute, organizer of the survey, said yesterday the ship would study sea currents, temperatures and saline density in waters near the disputed islets until July 17.

The ship with a crew of 20 departed Busan, some 450km south of Seoul, at 10:30pm, the institute said.

The South Korean coast guard said its patrolling planes and vessels were following the survey ship "around the clock" for protection.

A Japanese Coast Guard spokesman said yesterday that patrols were under way around the disputed territory.

"If we find the [South Korean survey ship], we are likely to issue a warning and request its withdrawal though diplomatic channels," he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi yesterday also warned South Korea to refrain from undertaking the survey.

Tokyo may also conduct its own maritime survey around the disputed islets to counter Seoul's move, Foreign Ministry official Shotaro Yachi said.

Diaoyutai survey

Responding to a separate dispute, Abe said yesterday that Tokyo could not accept China's apparent unannounced marine survey in waters near disputed islands south of Okinawa over the weekend.

A Chinese ship defied warnings from Japan's coast guard and conducted a marine survey in waters near the disputed Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea on Sunday. Japan considers the waters to be within its exclusive economic zone, or EEZ. Taiwan also claims the Diaoyutais.

Japan has lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels over the ship's actions, which violated a bilateral accord that requires advance notice, Abe said.

The ship did not violate Japanese territorial waters but stayed within its 200 nautical mile (370km) EEZ, Coast Guard officials said. It left the EEZ shortly after midnight on Sunday, Abe said.
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