South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae- chan said on Wednesday his country will not tolerate any claim to South Korean territory, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

"We will not tolerate any claim to South Korean territory, which could amount to a challenge to our independence," Lee made this remarks at a ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean government-in-exile during the 1920- 1945 Japanese colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

"We will not back down an inch," the South Korean premier was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Relations between South Korea and Japan recently turned mar due to their disputes over a chain of islets located in the East Sea ( Sea of Japan), which is called Dokdo in Korean, Takeshima in Japanese.

"Parts of Japanese have whitewashed their country's past colonial era by distorting the history of the invasion of the Korea Peninsula, such acts will lead to self-denial in Japan," said Lee.

Earlier this month, Japan's Education Ministry authorized eight kinds of history school textbooks, including the one sponsored by Japanese right-wing which justifies Japan's wartime past.

"Recently popular conservative, imperialistic sentiment in Japan will be another disaster for both Asians and Japanese," Lee said.

"But it's the new Japanese imperialistic sentiment, not Japan, that South Korea is objecting to," he added. "Japanese should know what Asians are really thinking."

Lee also said only based on correct history, substantial cooperation and reconciliation between the neighboring countries can be made. "The (South Korea) government is prepared to steadily help the Japanese government correct their arguments and history."

Japanese Shimane Prefecture Council on March 16 approved an ordinance to designate every Feb. 22 as "Takeshima Day" so as to promote public awareness of Japan's claim to the islets.

South Korea insists that the Dokdo islets, located some 89 km southeast to South Korean Uleung Island and 160 km northwest to Japanese Oki Island, have been listed as its territory in history literature since the fifth century.

While Japan also claims the islets has been its territory since 17 century, as written in literatures.

South Korea has deployed a garrison of coast police on the disputed islets since 1954 to effectually control the rocky islets.

South Korean government and people also made strong reactions to a new edition of a Japanese school textbook which whitewashes Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula and backs Japan's claim over Dokdo.

Source: Xinhua