By Chung Min-uck
Naval drills will be conducted in waters near the easternmost islets of Dokdo later this year, bolstering Seoul's sovereignty over the islets which Japan lays claims to, according to the Ministry of National Defense Thursday.
Military drills have been conducted near Dokdo since the mid 1990s with the most recent carried out in June.
"The Navy conducted a defense drill in late June under the control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," said a defense ministry official. "The drill was carried out under a scenario in which foreign forces landed on Dokdo."
"Another drill near the islets will be conducted later this year," the official said.
The drill reportedly involved about 10 ships, including 3,200-ton destroyers and 1,200-ton submarines, as well as Air Force F-15K jets. It was followed by regular maritime drills in the East Sea the same month.
Seoul has carried out similar military and Coast Guard exercises around Dokdo in previous years.
Another Dokdo drill is scheduled for later this year, according to the defense ministry.
Although most exercises in the past involved the Marine Corps for landing operations, this year's training excluded such maneuvers as it did during the last drill.
Last September, Korea's Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard conducted joint operations in waters near the islets, but landing operations were canceled amid high tensions with Japan after former President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo in August.
Japan lodged a complaint over the drills through diplomatic channels last year.
Tokyo lays claims to the islets insisting that Korea must resolve the "territorial dispute" at the International Court of Justice.
Korea refused this offer saying that the islets are not disputed territory. Korea currently maintains a small police force on the islets.
Japan's claims are understood as a denial of Korea's independence from its 1910-45 colonial rule. Korea reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the peninsula, when it regained independence from Japan on Aug. 15, 1945.
Naval drills will be conducted in waters near the easternmost islets of Dokdo later this year, bolstering Seoul's sovereignty over the islets which Japan lays claims to, according to the Ministry of National Defense Thursday.
Military drills have been conducted near Dokdo since the mid 1990s with the most recent carried out in June.
"The Navy conducted a defense drill in late June under the control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," said a defense ministry official. "The drill was carried out under a scenario in which foreign forces landed on Dokdo."
"Another drill near the islets will be conducted later this year," the official said.
The drill reportedly involved about 10 ships, including 3,200-ton destroyers and 1,200-ton submarines, as well as Air Force F-15K jets. It was followed by regular maritime drills in the East Sea the same month.
Seoul has carried out similar military and Coast Guard exercises around Dokdo in previous years.
Another Dokdo drill is scheduled for later this year, according to the defense ministry.
Although most exercises in the past involved the Marine Corps for landing operations, this year's training excluded such maneuvers as it did during the last drill.
Last September, Korea's Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard conducted joint operations in waters near the islets, but landing operations were canceled amid high tensions with Japan after former President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo in August.
Japan lodged a complaint over the drills through diplomatic channels last year.
Tokyo lays claims to the islets insisting that Korea must resolve the "territorial dispute" at the International Court of Justice.
Korea refused this offer saying that the islets are not disputed territory. Korea currently maintains a small police force on the islets.
Japan's claims are understood as a denial of Korea's independence from its 1910-45 colonial rule. Korea reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the peninsula, when it regained independence from Japan on Aug. 15, 1945.
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