South Korea has urged Japan to refrain from "overreacting" to Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate victims of Tokyo's wartime forced labor.

In a briefing Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said it's very regrettable the Japanese government continues to react excessively to Korean judicial rulings. 

He said the Seoul government has been internally discussing related issues from various angles since a Supreme Court ruling on wartime forced labor in late October. 

The spokesman said the government will draw up response measures comprehensively in consideration of various factors, including the Supreme Court ruling just delivered on Thursday. 

Another ministry official said that for responsible Japanese politicians to ignore the root cause and politicize the issue will not help solve the problem or build future-oriented bilateral relations.

The Foreign Ministry also called in Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Yasumasa Nagamine on Thursday in protest of Japan's aggressive comments on the rulings.