Geckoman
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:04 am Post subject: US Reverses Decision on Ownershp of Dokdo-Takeshima! |
 |
|
US reverses decision on ownershp of Dokdo-Takeshima!
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names has just reversed its earlier decision to change Dokdo-Takeshima from being Korean territory to "nondesignated sovereignty." So now it will be Korean territory again.
This is actually a smart move because Bush is scheduled to visit Korea in August. Imagine the protests that he would likely face if he didn't reverse his decision. And after his visit, then change it back to "nondesignated sovereignty."
Read about it at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-skorea-japan-disputed-islands,0,5615478.story or see below.
This actually made the news at a US media outlet -- the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. They are running the AP story about it from the wire. And AP actually did a story on it. But I guess since AP covers everything it should be no suprise that AP did a story on it. AP does stories about everything. AP is the world's top news agency.
| Quote: |
US reverses decision on name of islands disputed by Japan and South Korea
By FOSTER KLUG
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Associated Press Writer
10:38 PM EDT, July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The United States has decided to reverse a recent decision to change the national classification of islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Japan and South Korea, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
The initial decision by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names was to change the islands' listing from South Korean to "nondesignated sovereignty." It infuriated people in South Korea. The Seoul government recalled its ambassador to Tokyo early this month to protest Japan's inclusion in school textbooks of a Japanese claim to the Korean-controlled islands.
The reversal comes as President Bush prepares to visit South Korea, a key Asian ally, next month.
Dennis Wilder, a White House Asia adviser, told reporters that "a very high-level" South Korean government official contacted the Bush administration about the decision. Bush asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to look into the matter, Wilder said, and the United States determined that the change "was not warranted at this time."
"We regret that this change in designation was perceived by South Koreans as some sort of change in our policy," Wilder said. The United States has no position on the territorial dispute, he said, and believes the two countries should work diplomatically to resolve the question.
South Korea welcomed the move.
"The swift action shows President Bush fully understands the sentiment of South Koreans, and is an outcome that reflected deep trust and friendship between the two leaders," Lee Dong-kwan, a spokesman for President Lee Myung-bak, said in comments posted on the presidential Web site.
The State Department said the initial re-designation was done to "be in conformity with U.S. government efforts to standardize the filing of all features to which we do not recognize claims of sovereignty."
Michael Green, Bush's former Asia adviser, said that, had the administration not made the reversal, it was "going to be the lead story for President Bush's visit in Korea."
The tiny rocky outcroppings � just 56 acres in total land area � are in the Sea of Japan about halfway between the Korean peninsula and Japan. They are called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese and long have been a source of discord between Seoul and its former colonial ruler Tokyo.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-skorea-japan-disputed-islands,0,5615478.story
|
|
|
Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| This is actually a smart move because Bush is scheduled to visit Korea in August. Imagine the protests that he would likely face if he didn't reverse his decision. And after his visit, then change it back to "nondesignated sovereignty." |
This is fairly reasonable. If he didn't, could you imagine the riots when Bush came to South Korea. It would dwarf the US Beef protests. |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
