South Korea shouldn't take sides in China, Japan spat: president

South Korea shouldn't take sides in China, Japan spat: president

South Korea's leader said Wednesday that his country wouldn't take sides in an escalating war of words between Japan and China, calling for the two sides to "coexist".

Tokyo and Beijing have been locked in a dispute after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo could intervene militarily should China invade Taiwan.

The comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from Beijing, which has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.

Speaking in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung told a news conference that taking sides would only worsen tensions.

"The ideal approach is to coexist, respect one another, and cooperate as much as possible," he said, describing northeast Asia as a "highly dangerous region