韓国軍、竹島の防衛訓練実施　非公開で今月中旬

　【ソウル時事】韓国軍などが今月中旬、島根県・竹島（韓国名・独島）の防衛訓練を非公開で実施していたことが明らかになった。韓国メディアが２９日に報じた。
　日本外務省の鯰博行アジア大洋州局長は在日韓国大使館の金壯※（※火ヘンに玄）次席公使に、在韓国日本大使館の熊谷直樹総括公使は韓国外務省の徐旻廷アジア太平洋局長に、それぞれ「極めて遺憾だ」と抗議した。
　年２回行われる定例の訓練で、尹錫悦政権では４回目。聯合ニュースによると、今回は海軍と海洋警察が参加し、前回と同様、上陸は行われなかった。韓国国防省は「われわれの領土、国民、財産を保護する任務を遂行するために（訓練を）実施している」と説明した。（2023/12/29-20:25）

South Korea's military has conducted defense drills for the Sea of Japan islands at the center of a territorial dispute between the country and Japan, South Korean media reported Friday.
   The drills for the defense of the islands, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, were carried out behind closed doors in mid-December, according to the news reports.
   Hiroyuki Namazu, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, protested to Kim Jang-hyun, a senior official at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, saying that the drills were extremely regrettable.
   Similarly, Naoki Kumagai, an official at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, filed a strong protest to Seo Min-Jung, director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs at the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
   South Korea conducts defense drills for the islands twice a year. The latest drills were the fourth such exercises since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May 2022.