South Korea froze military exchanges with Japan on Thursday as it stepped up a dispute over controversial Japanese history books.
The defence ministry said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff had cancelled a visit to Japan planned for later this month.
South Korea also refused permission for two Japanese navy ships to dock in the west coast port of Inchon in September, the ministry said. The Japanese ships are part of a group on a training mission to 13 Asian countries.
The measures were the first announced since Japan told South Korea and China this week that it would not revise eight school text books accused of whitewashing Japan's militarist past.
"No high-level military exchanges between South Korea and Japan will take place for the time being," ministry spokesman Yoon Won-Jae said.
He said the refusal to allow the planned port call by the two Japanese navy ships showed how seriously Seoul was taking the textbook row.
"The port call is a yard stick to assess the fundamental relations of the military exchanges between the countries concerned," Yoon said. "Japan should know what that really means."
(Chinadaily.com.cn 07/12/2001)
