Seoul subway removes Japanese condom ads over territorial row

 SEOUL, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Seoul subway has taken downadvertisements for Japanese condoms amid outrage in South Koreaover Japan's renewed claim to a disputed group of islands.

The Korea Times quoted a Seoul Metro official as saying the advertsinside the carriages, calling Okamoto condoms 'Japan's No. 1',"could run counter to public sentiment following the eruptionof a fresh row over Dokdo."

The latest dispute over the Dokdo islets, controlled by South Koreaand located halfway between the Korean mainland and Japan, flaredup at the start of this week when the Japanese government announcedthat new teaching guidelines for schools would state that theislands are illegally occupied.

The subway official told the paper that any breach of contractissues over the condom advertisements are a matter for Okamoto,Japan's largest condom maker, and the subway's subcontractor incharge of advertising.

Japanese condoms, which have a history stretching back centuries,are known in Asia for their colorful and often humorous packaging.

On Monday, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Tokyo over there-ignited territorial row, and on Wednesday protesters pelted theJapanese Embassy in Seoul with rotten eggs and vegetables.

Japan claimed sovereignty over the islands, which it callsTakeshima, in 1905, soon before its occupation of Korea, and cededcontrol after WWII. The islands cover a territory of only 187,000square meters but are surrounded by rich fishing waters.

While South Korea says it has owned the territory since the sixthcentury, Japan claims that it had effective control of the islandssince the 17th century when its fishermen began using them asdocking points.