(Yonhap News)
South Korea‘s foreign ministry is requesting a hefty increase in budget for next year to strengthen its control of its easternmost islets of Dokdo, officials said Tuesday, amid heightened diplomatic tension with Japan over the territory.
The ministry is seeking 4.2 billion won (US$3.7 million) in 2013, up 81 percent from this year, which will primarily be used for a public relations drive worldwide about Dokdo, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The ministry had originally asked the National Assembly to double next year’s budget for Dokdo and that could increase further during consultations at the National Assembly, according to the official.
Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.
Tension heightened after President Lee Myung-bak visited the islets on Aug. 10.
Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda met briefly on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sunday and concurred on the need to mend ties and work together for a future-oriented relationship, Seoul officials said. (Yonhap News)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
