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S.Korea Likely to Postpone Joint Maritime Drill With Japan
South Korea is expected to indefinitely postpone a planned South Korea-Japan joint maritime search-and-rescue exercise until Japan corrects the distorting history textbooks.
The South Korean Defense Ministry Wednesday said it is considering an indefinite delay of the planned joint maritime drill as early this month the Japanese government approved eight middle school textbooks distorting and beautifying Japanese atrocities in wartime last century.
The ministry said it is also mulling over putting off the exchanges of ranking military officers between the two nations, including the visit of high ranking officers of South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff scheduled in the first half of this year.
This will be the first time the South Korean government has disclosed measures against the Japanese government' approval of the textbooks after recalling its ambassador to Japan last week.
The disclosure is seen as a strong, clear message of objection to Tokyo.
At a defense ministers' meeting in Tokyo last May, the two nations agreed to hold a joint maritime search-and-rescue drill in June.
The South Korean government is to hold a second special meeting Thursday to work out further countermeasures in connection to the distorting history textbooks.
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