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What's with the Dokdo Islets ? 

Koreans are protesting that Japan's Shimane Prefecture has submitted a bill to designate a Takeshima (Dokdo Islets named in Japanese) Day in February because for the Koreans, Dokdo Islets are part of Korea. 
 

The South Korean President then came out and said that he couldn't stand by idly to see Japan wields it aggressive stance around.  

Dokdo Islets are located halfway between Korea and Japan.  It is no more than two isolated islands 90 Km from Korea's Ulleung Island and 160 Km from Japan's Oki Island.  
 

Japan has not claimed the islands in the 17^th century.  In 1696,  Japan has banned travel to Ulleung Island and in 1877, a civilian filed to develop the islands but the Japanese government stated that it had nothing to do with Japan.Source  

In 1910-1945 when Japan occupied Korea, it incorporated Dokdo islets as part of Shimane Prefecture.   The Japanese government still seems to consider its 1905 incorporation of Dokdo into Imperial Japan as legally binding.  

Korea has controlled the islets since 1952 when the ¡§Rhee Line¡¨ demarcated rights to the waters surrounding the whole of the Korean Peninsula and the Korean Coast Guard was subsequently stationed on the islets. Source  

So why is Japan after a 56 hectare worth of islets?  

The Dokdo islets have large deposits of gas hydrates under the surrounding waters.  It has gas deposits that could yield 600 million tons of liquid natural gas.  This is equivalent to about 30 years of LNG imports by South Korea. The deep waters are also ideal for fishing.  The Ulleung Island relies on these waters for their catch every year.Source

And what is the US doing about it?   

Does the US have to do anything about it? The US embassy in Seoul issued the following statement, "U.S. policy on the Dokdo/Takeshima Island issue has been and continues to be that the United States does not take a position on either Korea's claim or Japan's claim to the island." 

Shouldn't the US rein in its ally, Japan?  

Japan is lobbying to be admitted to the Security Council. As the second largest economic power in the world, it wants to play an international role and a significant one too.  But economics aside, its foreign policy is getting more aggressive.  I don't blame them.  

The current Japanese politicians who are in their 40's - 50's are not as bothered by the war guilt as the older generations who give special considerations in its dealings with Korea.  These neocons who have studied abroad are fiercely patriotic want to rebuild a normal relationship with Korea.  In the past Korea would play the war atrocities card when an economic negotiation get stuck.  Now Japan doesn't yield anymore.  Source 

In the past, the US tend to assist these two neighboring nations to coexist, but with the burning of the US flag in Korea recently and widespread discontent of the US military on Korean soil,  the US does not see anything worthwhile to stay for.  
 

Why won't Korea take this dispute to the International Court of Justice?  

Korea does not have the dispute.  It's Japan who is disputing that the islands belong to Japan.  Korea has not requested that the Basic Relations Treaty in 1965 between Japan and Korea ratify that Dokdo Islets be part of Korea and the lack of correction on their part may infer that they have given up territorial rights to the islets. 
 

Here are two interesting precedents in this line of argument. 
http://www.geocities.com/mlovmo/page10.html 

So what would happen next?  
I think both sides would shelf the issue as they did for the 40 years and not confront it.  President Roh Muh-hyun of Korea would leave office with a poor report card.   

Other articles:  

Seoul Announces New Hardline Japan Doctrine  

Greater Public Access to Dokdo Islets 

Here is an entire website of the history of Dokdo Islets.
http://www.geocities.com/mlovmo/page4.html

Macaque enjoying a hot spring in Nagano, Central Japan