S. Korea lodges protest with Japan in islands row

South Korea summoned the Japanese ambassador on Friday to protest over a planned visit by his country's lawmakers to a location near islands claimed by both countries, an official said. Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-Shin told envoy Masatoshi Muto that authorities would turn the four lawmakers back when they arrive at Seoul's Gimpo airport, Yonhap news agency quoted a foreign ministry official as saying. "Such a visit will be of no help to bilateral relations and we want them to restrain themselves," the unnamed official reportedly said. "Their move seriously damages bilateral relations and hurts (South Korean) people's sentiment and greatly undermines diplomatic efforts to enhance bilateral relations." A foreign ministry spokeswoman confirmed the ambassador had been called in but said she had no further information. The neighbours are facing a renewed escalation in a decades-old territorial row over the Seoul-controlled Dokdo islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), which are known as Takeshima in Japan. Four lawmakers from Japan's conservative opposition Liberal Democratic Party have announced a plan to visit Ulleung island, the closest South Korean territory to Dokdo -- sparking anger among Seoul officials and activists. The latest row began when flag carrier Korean Air operated a test flight of its new A380 aircraft over Dokdo in June. Tokyo in response ordered public servants not to use Korean Air for a month. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, at a cabinet meeting Tuesday, ordered officials to advise Tokyo that Seoul "cannot guarantee the lawmakers' safety" and to urge them to cancel the visit, a presidential spokesman said.