SOUTH Korean Defence Minister Han Min Koo insisted yesterday that his country had the right to reject US demands for Japanese troops to enter the Korean peninsula in emergencies.

Mr Han told Representative Lee Chun Seok of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy that South Korea could disregard any US call for Japanese involvement if an armed conflict broke out with North Korea.

His comments in parliament followed growing public concerns about the ramifications of Japan’s controversial security Bills that will allow it to fight overseas for the first time since the end of World War II.