SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Monday that Seoul will recall its ambassador from Japan over a rekindled territorial dispute.
Japan reasserted its claim Monday over two disputed islands between the two countries, saying it would recommend that schools teach Japanese students that they belong to Japan.
The islands, known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, are under South Korean control.
The announcement by Japan's education ministry, reported by Kyodo News agency, sparked immediate anger in Seoul.
"We cannot accept it, strongly protest against the Japanese government and request for immediate corrective measures,'' said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young.
Japan and South Korea have long been at odds over the ownership of Takeshima, which consists of two small uninhabited islets and surrounding reefs.
"The government has decided it is necessary to teach the Takeshima problem like the Northern Territory issue,'' said Japan's chief Cabinet secretary, Nobutaka Machimura. The Northern Territory is what Japan calls several islands it disputes with Russia.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak expressed "his deep disappointment and regret'' over the renewed claim, said spokesman Lee Dong-kwan.
The country's foreign ministry said it would bring home its ambassador after he launches a strong protest against the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
After taking office in February, the conservative Lee -- who was born in Japan during Tokyo's colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula -- had sought to restore strained ties with Tokyo. In April, he held the first full-fledged summit between the two countries in three years.
