S. Korea to hold sports event on disputed islets

SEOUL - South Korea's governing body of basketball will host a sports event on a set of disputed islets claimed by both Seoul and Tokyo next week, amid an escalating diplomatic row between the two neighbors, local media reported Friday.

The Korea Basketball Association (KBA) said three-on-three basketball games between South Korean high school students and coast guard officers stationed on the islets called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan will be held on August 25, Yonhap news agency reported.

The association said the event aims to instill in students a love for the Seoul-controlled islands and patriotism.

The event, if held, will be the second of its kind after the inaugural event took place on August 24 last year. Last year's tournament marked the first-ever sporting event on the islands.

The rocky outcroppings lying about halfway between South Korea and Japan have been at the center of a long-running territorial dispute between the two neighbors.

South Korea on Friday dismissed Japan's proposal to take the issue of the islands to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and vowed stern measures against any territorial provocations from Japan.