South Korea began two days of war games to practise defending disputed islands off its east coast against an unlikely attack from Japan, further stoking tensions between the Asian neighbors.
The annual drills come just days after Seoul terminated a military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, with the countries at loggerheads over Japan’s use of forced labor during World War II.The two-day exercise will involve warships and aircraft, the South Korean navy said in a text message without providing more detail.
The drill — re-named “East Sea territory defense training” — will solidify the military’s resolve to defend the Dokdo islands and the area surrounding the Sea of Japan, the navy said. While a Japanese attack is deemed highly unlikely, South Korea first staged the drills in 1986 and has conducted them twice a year — usually in June and December.Seoul has controlled the rocky islets in the Sea of Japan since 1945 when Tokyo’s 35-year colonial rule over the Korean peninsula ended.The two nations are both market economies, democracies and US allies, and both are threatened by nuclear-armed North Korea.
But the two neighbors have been embroiled in intensifying trade and diplomatic disputes in recent weeks, following a run of South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to pay for forced labor during World War II. The series of tit-for-tat measures that began in July after Japan imposed new restrictions on exports crucial to South Korean tech firms has seen Seoul and Tokyo remove each other from their lists of trusted trade partners.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Korea begins annual war games to defend against JapanThe 'East Sea territory defence training' aims to solidify the South Korean military's resolve to defend the Dokdo islands and its surrounding areas.
Read more »
South Korea says will share military intel with Japan through U.S.South Korea will 'actively utilize the trilateral information-sharing channel with the United States as the intermediary' in place of the accord with Japan.
Read more »
South Korea begins military drills around disputed island amid feud with Japan
Read more »
South Korea begins military drills around disputed island amid feud with JapanSEOUL - South Korea’s military will conduct two days of drills around a tiny island also claimed by Japan, Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, just days after Seoul decided to scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo amid worsening relations.
Read more »
North Korea fires 'unidentified projectiles' into sea – SeoulNorth Korea on Saturday, August 24, fired two 'unidentified projectiles' into the sea off its eastern coast, South Korea's military says.
Read more »
Seoul: North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectiles’ into seaSEOUL --- North Korea Saturday fired two "unidentified projectiles" into the sea off its eastern coast, South Korea&039;s military said, the latest in a series of launches by
Read more »