Japan and South Korea agree to negotiate maritime border

"Difficulties have continued in South Korea-Japan relations since last year, and I find this unfortunate," Ban was quoted as saying by the Japanese Kyodo news agency.

Photo: Japan and South Korea agree to negotiate maritime border

"I hope we can resolve our problems as soon as possible and establish relations that are forward-looking and that allow for cooperation," he said, as Asian ministers gathered for their two-day talks Tuesday at Doha's Four Seasons Hotel.

The Japanese embassy in Qatar said that details on the bilateral talks would be outlined at a briefing by Aso's press secretary at 8.30 p.m. (1730GMT) local time on Tuesday.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency added that high-level discussions on redrawing the boundary would be held in Tokyo June 12-13.

The discussion held by Ban and Aso was the highest level encounter between the two countries since a long-running dispute over the islets - called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese - flared last month when Japan said it would conduct a maritime survey in nearby waters.

The dispute has prevented South Korea and Japan from demarcating their exclusive economic zones. Under international law, such zones give a country rights over the exploration and use of marine resources within 200 nautical miles (230 miles, 370 kilometers) from its shores.

The islets are under South Korean control but the surrounding waters lie halfway between the two countries. The area, claimed by both nations, is a rich fishing ground and is also believed to have methane hydrate deposits, a potential source of natural gas.

After negotiations in Seoul, Japan agreed last month to cancel its survey as long as South Korea delayed a move to officially register the Korean names in the area.

President Roh Moo-hyun told the Korean nation on television last month it was South Korea's "given right" to register the Korean names.

It was the strongest criticism of Japan yet from South Korea, which harbors deep bitterness toward Japan for its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Roh has refused to meet Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi since canceling a summit in December because Koizumi had paid a visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, which has strong links to Japanese militarism.