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South Korea has strongly disagreed with territorial claims on disputed islands included in Japan's revised national security strategy.

Seoul also reacted cautiously to Tokyo's plans for an unprecedented strengthening of Japan's military power, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power in May and has sought to warm relations with Tokyo, strained by territorial disputes and historical disputes stemming from the Japanese occupation of Korea between 1910 and 1945.

South Korea's foreign ministry today demanded the immediate withdrawal of Japan's territorial claims in its national strategy documents.

In a statement, the department said that including this issue in Japan's national strategy does nothing to help the formation of forward-looking relations between the two countries.

The foreign ministry later said it had summoned a senior diplomat from the Japanese embassy in Seoul to deliver a protest note.

The Defense Ministry, for its part, said it had summoned a Japanese defense official to voice its disagreement with Japan's territorial claims.

The islands, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, are administered by Seoul, with a small contingent of the coast guard stationed there.

In a separate statement, the foreign ministry said it hoped the implementation of Japan's new security policy would be transparent, contribute to peace and stability in the region and preserve the spirit of Japan's pacifist constitution.

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Any military exercise involving "attack capabilities" on the Korean peninsula "must expressly involve close consultation and be coordinated with South Korea," the foreign ministry statement added, an apparent reference to possible countering North Korea's aggression. Korea.

A key national security priority for President Yun is to strengthen and improve cooperation with Japan.

In an interview with Reuters in November, he said it was understandable for Japan to increase defense spending given the growing threat posed by North Korea's ballistic missile program.

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