South Korea's Lee visits disputed islands

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- South Korea increased security in the sea that separates the country from Japan as President Lee Myung-bak visited a disputed island group, officials said.

Lee, the first South Korean president to make a trip to the area, visited islets claimed by both South Korea and Japan about halfway between the countries, Yonhap reported.

The sea is most often referred to as the Sea of Japan but South Korea calls it the East Sea.

Japanese officials had urged South Korea to cancel the planned visit to the islands, known as Takeshima in Japan or Dokdo in South Korea because it would harm bilateral ties, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

"The military increased the number of Air Force combat planes and Navy vessels patrolling [near Dokdo]," a South Korean senior military official said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said the country's ambassador to South Korea would be temporarily recalled to protest Lee's visit to the islands.

Lee's visit came after Japan last week renewed claims to the islands in its annual defense report and days before South Korea observes Liberation Day next week to mark the country's independence from Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.