A team of Koreans Monday began a 230 kilometre (144 mile) relay swim from an eastern port to the Dokdo islands, in Seoul‘s latest assertion of its sovereignty over the outcrops claimed by Japan.

The team led by singer Kim Jang-hoon plans to complete the swim on Liberation Day Wednesday, which marks the ending in 1945 of Japan’s 35-year colonial rule over Korea.

The territorial row over the Seoul-controlled islands, known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japan, has simmered for decades.

It erupted again Friday when Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the volcanic outcrops in the East Sea.

An angry Japan recalled its ambassador from Seoul and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said the trip -- the first by the Korean president -- was “extremely deplorable”.

Kim jumped in the sea off Uljin in a full-body swimsuit after a ceremony with about 40 university students and dozens of others, Yonhap news agency reported.

The students, all members of a swimming club at the Korea National Sport University, will take part in the 55-hour-long relay led by Kim, it said.

The singer was set to celebrate his 45th birthday on the sea Tuesday.

“I will never make such a comment as ‘Dokdo is our territory’ when I arrive there,” Kim told reporters before leaving. “It‘s meaningless to do so because they are undeniably our territory.”

(AFP)


<관련 한글 기사>

"우리 땅 독도까지 수영해 가겠다!"

가수 김장훈의 8.15 기념 독도 수영 횡단 프로젝트가 오늘 시작됐다.

김장훈은 13일 오전 울진 죽변항에서 행사선언을 한 후 횡단을 시작했다.

이 프로젝트에는 한국 체육대학 수영부 학생 40명도 참여해, 230km를 약 4km 씩 릴레이로 수영을 하게 되고 광복절인 수요일 오후에 독도에 도착할 예정이다.

한 편, 출정식에서 김장훈은 “독도는 당연히 우리 영토이기 때문에 독도는 우리땅이라고 말할 필요가 없다” 며 독도에 도착하면 독도는 우리 땅이라고 말하는 대신 “독도야 잘 있었니” 라 할 것이라고 말했다.

한체대 학생들 이외에도, 배우 송일국, 서경덕 성신여대 교수, 밴드 피아의 옥요한과 헐랭이 이번 프로젝트에 참여한다.