South Korea says it is actively taking part in the implementation of international sanctions on North Korea, rejecting a report that it has been shirking a multinational crackdown on the North's illegal ship-to-ship transfers of goods.

An official from the South Korean Defense Ministry said on Friday that a Voice of America report on the issue that cited the Japanese Foreign Ministry is "not true," adding that Seoul is mobilizing all available resources and adequately utilizing them against such transshipments.

The official said Seoul is fully cooperating in international activities within its own area of operations, but could not confirm the details due to security reasons.

When asked by VOA earlier in the week whether South Korea is participating in the crackdown, Japan's Foreign Ministry said there was no record of Seoul deploying aircraft or ships for related monitoring and surveillance.

The seven-nation operation involving Japan, the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand was launched in the East China Sea and nearby waters early last year to catch North Korean ships smuggling goods in violation of UN sanctions.

[Photo : YONHAP News]