The presidential office says that military exercises launched Sunday on and around the Dokdo islets are designed to defend the country's sovereign territory.

Presidential spokesperson Ko Min-jung said during a Sunday news briefing that the exercises are part of a regular training program run every year.

The two-day exercises, called "East Sea territory defense training," are meant to enhance South Korea's defense capabilities of its East Sea territories, including Dokdo. 

The biannual exercise is usually held in June and December, but had been pushed back in consideration of its potential impact on relations with Tokyo, which also makes territorial claims to Dokdo. 

The year's first Dokdo defense training comes just three days after South Korea announced it would scrap a military information sharing deal with Japan. 

Regarding the timing of the training, Ko said that Seoul did not consider just one certain country when deciding on the date for the exercise and that various factors, including weather, were taken into account.