South Korea detains 6 for illegally entering Japan consulate

There is a growing anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea due to the diplomatic and trade disputes between the two neighbors. (File/AFP)

• A man set himself on fire next to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Friday
• A South Korean news agency said the people entered the embassy with placards and were shouting slogans

SEOUL: South Korean police say they’ve detained six people for allegedly illegally entering a Japanese diplomatic facility in South Korea.
Monday’s arrests came amid growing anti-Japanese sentiments in South Korea as the two countries are locked in trade and diplomatic disputes. Last Friday, a 78-year-old South Korean man died after setting himself on fire near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
Police say they were trying to find why the six people entered the Japanese consulate building in the southeastern city of Busan.
Yonhap news agency says they were trying to hold a placard and shout slogans criticizing Japan’s recent decision to tighten its export controls of some high-tech materials.
South Korea and Japan have often been embroiled in disputes stemming from the Japanese colonial occupation from 1910-45.