S Koreans hold anti-Japan rally in Seoul

Scores of South Korean activists have gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest the enhancement of military ties with Japan.

Protesters denounced the South Korean and Japanese governments for reinforcing their defense agreements. They said the move would increase tension in the region by antagonizing North Korea, China, and Russia.

“How can South Korea-Japan military cooperation be possible without resolving the issue of Japan’s past wrongdoing?” the activists asked in a statement distributed at the protest site.

South Korean and Japanese defense leaders will hold talks later on Monday to discuss closer military cooperation.

The talks are likely to focus on the sharing of military information in exchange for services such as food, fuel and transportation during peacetime operations.

In a separate development, South Korea has rejected the North’s latest offer of talks, saying that Pyongyang should first show it is serious about denuclearization.

“Our side will not accept the North’s proposals,” said Lee Jong-Joo, spokeswoman for the South’s unification ministry which handles cross-border contacts.

“It’s not time to hold such talks as proposed by North Korea.”

On Saturday, Pyongyang called for negotiations within weeks, adding it would open a liaison office to ease tensions on the peninsula.

Senior officials in Seoul, however, dismissed the move as propaganda.

Ties between the two neighbors soured after a deadly exchange of artillery fire in November.

The North accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country’s government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.