S. Korea, Japan FMs agree to forge cooperative relationship

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- Japan's new foreign minister pledged to work closely with Seoul in dealing with North Korea in a telephone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, a Seoul official said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, who was appointed to the post last week, called his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan, to discuss various matters of mutual concern that also included resuming bilateral free trade negotiations, he said.
"During the telephone talks, the two ministers agreed to work to build a cooperative relationship," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
South Korea recently saw its relations with Japan deteriorate because of Tokyo's renewed efforts to strengthen its territorial claim to the South Korean islets Dokdo that lies in the body of water between the two countries.
Earlier this week, Gemba irritated South Korean officials by renewing Japan's territorial claim to Dokdo in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
South Korean officials expressed regret over Gemba's remarks on Dokdo.
"As Dokdo is clearly a Korean territory by history, geography, and international law, the government expresses regret about the ill-considered remarks," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters.
Cho said the South Korean government "is determined to firmly and resolutely respond to any attempt to undermine or infringe upon our sovereign rights over Dokdo."