KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: South Korea is suspending military contacts with Tokyo to protest schoolbooks critics say whitewash Japan's war-time actions. The move is the latest step in the growing controversy over the textbooks. Sohn Jie-Ae has more from Seoul.</s>SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To protest Japan's refusal to revise controversial textbooks, South Korea canceled the trip to Tokyo by chairman of the joint chief of staff next week. The trip had been part of a high level of military exchanges between the two countries. South Korea also revoked permission to two Japanese naval drill ships to make port call in September. The Japanese vessels on a naval exercise to 13 Asian countries. The defense ministry said in a statement that military exchanges between the two countries have to proceed on the basis of a correct understanding of history. Civic groups have held protests since early this week, angry over the Japanese textbooks, which they say whitewash Japan's wartime atrocities. They were especially upset about the failure of those textbooks to mention tens of thousands of Korean and other Asian women who were forced to serve as sexual slaves in World War II. South Korean officials are reportedly considering other measures. Sohn Jie-Ae, CNN, Seoul.
South Korea Suspending Military Contacts with Tokyo to Protest `White-Washed' Schoolbooks