The recent establishment of China's air control zone that overlaps with those of South Korea and Japan has further aggravated conflicts in Northeast Asia, Seoul's top diplomat said.

Tensions have been escalating since last Saturday when China announced its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea that overlaps with those of South Korea and Japan.

In response, South Korea and Japan expressed regret, and the United States flew a pair of B-52 bombers through the area in defiance of the move.

"The issue of the AIDZ has made already tricky regional situations even more difficult to deal with," Seoul's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said. "We've witnessed competition and conflicts among players of the region getting fiercer."

He made the remarks in his keynote speech at the defense forum hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul.

However, the policymaker warned against having "unrealistic" concerns about the situation mirroring the past cold-war rivalry in the region, as "crisis management" is possible while seeking cooperation.  

"Nonetheless, things can take a dramatic turn for the worse if conflicts over the territorial and historical issues are merged with nationalism," Yun said.

Speaking of the soured Seoul-Tokyo ties, he once again called for Japan's "further efforts" by "showing sincere gestures in terms of historical issues."

Relations between the two neighbors were further strained as the Abe administration has taken an unrepentant attitude toward Tokyo's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

As for Japan's move to secure its greater constitutional right to collective self-defense, the minister said it should be carefully considered "taking into account three factors of its significance of security and interests of the Korean Peninsula, its possible effects on the peace and security of Northeast Asia, and its credibility and transparency."  

Under the current pacifist constitution written after Japan's defeat in World War II, the role of the country's forces were strictly limited to homeland defense. But the new move can allow the Japanese military to engage in war beyond its borders and pursue overseas military operations.

Japan's recent plans for a military build-up are fueling jitters among neighboring countries like South Korea and China, where memories of Tokyo's past imperialist aggression still run deep. (Yonhap News)