S Korea denies Japan's military ally

Seoul, Jan 5: A South Korean foreign ministry official has turned down reports that Seoul has discussed a joint declaration with Japan on boosting bilateral military cooperation between both the nations.

"We never discussed such a joint declaration with Japan. And the president's visit to Japan has yet to be decided," Xinhua quoted a South Korean foreign ministry official, as saying.

On Tuesday, Yomiuri Shimbun, a leading Japanese daily newspaper, had reported that Seoul and Tokyo are planning to sign the declaration when the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visits Tokyo in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa is scheduled to hold talks next week in South Korean with his counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, over boosting military ties and a proposed pact on protecting shared military information.

ANI