South Korea wraps up expanded Dokdo military drills

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - South Korea on Monday concluded a two-day military exercise Monday, defending disputed islets amid a bitter feud with Japan.

The South's largest ever drill of its kind on and around what Seoul claims are its easternmost islets involved the three main armed forces plus Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as hardware such as a 7,600-ton Aegis-equipped destroyer and F-15K warplanes.

According to officials cited by local news agency Yonhap, nearly twice as many troops were involved than previous drills, which have been held since 1986 around the islets -- known as Dokdo in South Korea.

South Korea effectively controls the islets, but Tokyo refers to them as Takeshima and insists they are Japanese territory.

While the South conducts two drills around the islets every year, they do not normally take place in August. The timing has been particularly sensitive as Seoul announced late last week it would not be renewing a military intelligence sharing pact with Japan after months of souring ties relating to issues stemming from Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

Japan has lodged a strong protest against the exercise, but Seoul's presidential office insisted the drill is aimed at dealing with threats from "all forces" rather than one particular nation.