President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's spokesperson said Thursday the incoming administration will likely seek stronger security cooperation with the United States and Japan but drew the line at trilateral military exercises.

Kim Eun-hye's remark came after the Hankyoreh newspaper reported the same day the US and Japanese governments recently made repeated proposals to hold trilateral military exercises in waters around the Korean Peninsula but were rejected by Seoul.

"South Korea-US-Japan combined military exercises are entirely different from South Korea-US-Japan security cooperation," she said during a press briefing.

"I believe the new government will consider ways to practically and effectively realize security cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan." (Yonhap)