Lee paid a surprise August 10 visit to the Seoul-controlled islands, known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japan.
Japan on Thursday refused to take back a letter sent by its own prime minister after Seoul said it would not accept delivery of the note, as a row over islands threatened to descend into diplomatic farce.
It was the latest move in an increasingly bitter tit-for-tat dispute that has engulfed two of Asia's largest economies for nearly two weeks.
South Korea said earlier in the day it would return the protest from Yoshihiko Noda without answering it, for fear any move to acknowledge the missive would bolster Tokyo's claim to islands that both sides say they own.
That sparked an angry response from Tokyo, which accused its neighbour of contravening diplomatic norms.
"Under usual protocol, it is inconceivable that letters exchanged between leaders are sent back," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, the government's top spokesman, told a news conference.
"I hope (South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak) will accept the letter, which was sent to deliver our prime minister's thoughts."
The letter to Lee has not even made it to Seoul, having been kept at the South's embassy in Tokyo, foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young said, announcing the intention to hand the note back.
But in what was beginning to look like a real live game of hot potato, the Japanese foreign ministry turned away a South Korean diplomat, believed to have been carrying Noda's letter, at the gate of the ministry building, NHK footage showed.
"I'm sorry to say this, but returning a diplomatic letter is below even being childish," Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi said at a press conference.
The letter was subsequently put in the post, registered delivery, a spokesman at the foreign ministry in Seoul said.
Despite their strong economic ties, the two countries have a frequently uneasy relationship, in which historical animosities constantly play in the background.
That relationship has sharply worsened since Lee paid a surprise August 10 visit to the Seoul-controlled islands, known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japan.
(Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
双语资讯
(Agencies)
韩日两国的岛屿争端近日引发外交风波。日本首相野田佳彦致韩国总统李明博的亲笔信被韩国退回,但退信遭到日本拒收。
这场针锋相对的风波愈演愈烈,亚洲两大经济体韩国和日本卷入这场风波已有近两周时间。
韩国当天早些时候表示,会退回日本首相的亲笔信,不会给予回复,因为担心任何承认这封信函的举动都会被认为是支持日本独占独岛
日本方面对韩国的举动非常恼火,指责韩国违反外交惯例。
日本政府首席发言人、内阁官房长官藤村修当天在记者会上说:“从外交惯例上看,退回首脑之间亲笔信这种事情是不可思议的。”
“我希望韩国总统李明博会接受这封信,日本首相写这封信是为了表达自己的想法。”
韩国外交部发言人赵泰永说,这封信甚至没有送到首尔,一直保存在韩国驻东京大使馆。他还表示要把这封信退回。
但韩日双方就像玩起了烫手山芋游戏。日本广播公司的视频显示,韩国外交官前往日本外务省退信时,被日本外务省拒之门外。
日本外务省副大臣山口壮在资讯发布会上说:“很遗憾地说,退回外交信函这种做法太幼稚了。”
韩国外交部一位发言人说,将采用邮寄挂号信的方式退回信件。
尽管韩日双方经贸来往密切,但关系时常陷入紧张局面,历史原因导致的敌意是出现这种情况的主因。
在韩国总统李明博8月10日突然到访韩国控制的独岛
Vocabulary:
tit-for-tat: 针锋相对,以牙还牙
hot potato: 烫手山芋,比喻棘手的问题
雅思8分经验:考试技巧是关键
雅思4分到6分:献给基础不好的同学
雅思备考书籍重点推荐
考生分享:11月17日南京雅思7分经验
三个星期雅思总分8分经验谈
在职烤鸭3个月雅思6.5分计划
烤鸭复议经验分享:成绩提高关键半分
4个月雅思7分经验:要相信自己
烤鸭谈失败教训:口语一定要事先准备
高分经验:不想考8分的“烤鸭”不是好“烤鸭”
英语差生备考经验:未过六级 先过雅思
雅思6.5分得主7点心得体会
三次雅思G类考试心得:要越挫越勇 磨练意志
雅思“老烤鸭”五次考试经验总结
雅思7分经验:一定要多交流
烤鸭分谈雅思各部分复习经验
英语专业学生雅思备考建议
上海财经大学考场雅思口试全程回忆
一战再战 五次考雅经验分享
考生分享:一个月雅思7分经验
“烤鸭”分享:雅思备考成败心经
高三女生:日积月累 雅思8分“随便考考”
牛人3月29日雅思阅读9分经验
在职考生三次烤鸭经历
总分8分阅读满分获得者谈雅思复习
雅思考生经验分享:培训班一个就够了
雅思6.5分考生分享:两个月中每天的复习安排
大三学生三个月雅思7分经验
雅思7分经验分享:复习及预测相关问题
一个月雅思5.5到6.5经验:一定要相信自己
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |