Neighbours linked by blood, locked in traditional enmity

Biogeographer Jared Diamond has likened the relationship between Koreans and Japanese to that of the Arabs and Jews, describing them as 'joined by blood yet locked in traditional enmity'.

That enmity was on public display this week when the South Korean president signalled a confrontational approach towards Japan over a cluster of islets in the Sea of Japan. It was a shift which analysts suggest was as much motivated by domestic considerations as anger at Japanese attempts to lay claim over the volcanic outcroppings.

In a televised statement on Tuesday, President Roh Moo-hyun pledged to end the 'quiet diplomacy' which, up till now, his administration has adopted over the Tokdo islands called Takeshima in Japan, saying Tokyo's claims to the land were a rejection of Korean sovereignty.

'Any issue of conflict with Japan causes Koreans to become their most nationalistic. So President Roh may have been trying to improve his party's popularity by showing a tough stance towards Japan,' said Lee Nae-young of Korea University.

The issue of Tokdo stirs powerful nationalistic sentiment among South Koreans with their memories of Japanese colonial rule. When the issue of ownership intermittently rises up the political agenda, it is often accompanied by public denunciations of Tokyo. This week has been no exception.

President Roh's speech came just days after a hastily negotiated deal to head off a physical confrontation between Seoul and Tokyo after Japan announced plans to send two boats to survey waters surrounding the islets. Seoul responded by despatching gunboats to ward off the Japanese vessels.

Tokyo agreed to halt the survey in return for Seoul's promise to temporarily shelve plans to register Korean names for underwater features in the area.