S. Korea Mulls Drills on Isles Claimed by Japan, Yonhap Reports

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea may go ahead with maritime defense drills around a group of islands that the country and Japan have competing claims over, Yonhap reported, citing unidentified military and government officials.

The drills could begin as early as this month for the easternmost Dokdo islands, which lie between Korea and Japan, Yonhap said. The exercises involve the navy, air force and coast guard, and they are usually carried out in June and December, it said.

South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a complicated dispute over trade that's turning into one of the worst crises in the nations' often-fraught bilateral ties since a 1965 treaty normalized relations. Carrying out the drills around the islands risks adding to the tensions, which have already been marked by a series of protests, boycotts and economic warnings.

While South Korea's government had initially put off the twice-yearly drills to prevent worsening the relationship with Tokyo, as Japan is “continuing to exacerbate the situation,” the drills could no longer be postponed, Yonhap said, citing a person it didn't identify.

To contact the reporter on this story: Niluksi Koswanage in Singapore at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net, Jake Lloyd-Smith, Virginia Van Natta

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