South Korea builds base near disputed islands with Japan

South Korea will build a naval base near islands disputed with Japan to allow for faster deployment of warships in the event of a clash between the two sides.

AFP quoted Chung Mi-Kyung, a lawmaker from the ruling Grand National Party, as saying Seoul would spend $300 million to build a naval base on Ulleung Island. Ulleung is the closest South Korean territory to the disputed islands in the Sea of ​​Japan, known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.

Fishing boats on Ulleung Island, near the disputed islands between South Korea and Japan. Photo: AFP

Ms. Chung cited information from the Ministry of Transport in charge of funding for this project, saying that construction of the base will start from next year to 2015. The new naval base will have a large pier to deploy Aegis destroyers and a 14,000-ton landing ship named Dokdo.

"This base will strengthen our territorial sovereignty over Dokdo so that naval ships can quickly access the island when there is a dispute with Japan," Chung said.

Once the base is completed, Seoul will be able to send ships to Dokdo in just one and a half hours, compared to the current four hours. It also takes Japanese ships three hours to reach the island.

The dispute between South Korea and Japan escalated in June when Korean Air conducted a test flight over the Dokdo Islands. Tokyo protested the move and banned its officials from using the airline for a month.

In early August, three Japanese lawmakers who planned to visit Ulleung Island to assert their sovereignty over Dokdo were denied entry by South Korea. That same month, South Korea lodged a diplomatic protest against Japan’s defense white paper that referred to the islands as its territory.

(According to VnExpress)