The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Seoul

South Korea will recall its ambassador to Tokyo after Japan reaffirmed its claim to a group of islands controlled by Seoul, the foreign ministry said Monday.

"South Korea's ambassador will be recalled in protest," a ministry spokesman told AFP, without saying when the envoy would leave or how long he would remain in Seoul.

Officials said Tokyo has formally told Seoul of its plan to describe the islands as Japanese territory in educational handbooks.

The islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japan.