Japanese lawmakers held at S. Korean airport due to entry ban

(LEAD) SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- Seoul enforced an entry ban on three Japanese lawmakers who arrived in the county on Monday, following through on its vow to block their trip which is seen as an attempt to reassert Tokyo's claim to the South Korean islets of Dokdo.
Yoshitaka Shindo, Tomomi Inada and Masahisa Sato, all from Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party, arrived at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport as planned, but South Korean immigration officials led them to a waiting room where they were informed of the government's entry ban.
Seoul said earlier it will send the legislators back on the return leg of the ANA flight they arrived on.
The lawmakers' trip came after their announcement last month that they will visit the South Korean island of Ulleung, located about 90 kilometers west of Dokdo in the East Sea, during a four-day trip here. The move sparked outrage among some South Korean politicians, who viewed it as another attempt by Japan to lay claim to the set of rocky outcroppings.
South Korea dismisses Japan's claims as nonsense, saying it regained control over all of its territory, including Dokdo, at the end of Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Shindo reiterated Tokyo's claim that Dokdo belongs to Japan.
"However, we must discuss this issue as there is a difference in opinion between Japan and South Korea," he said.
"If our entry is denied, we will visit once again," he added, warning that the entry ban may evolve into a diplomatic row between the nations.