South Korea's Foreign Ministry disgraced itself with the unauthorized usage of NHK's video footage showing the Dokdo islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, in its promotional video to counter Japan's territorial claims over the disputed islets.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry deleted the 12-minute promotional video on its website and YouTube only after Japanese broadcaster NHK said that the video inserted clips, without permission, from a 2011 drama series produced by NHK, according to local media reports. The video was first posted online on October 14.

"Korea's foreign ministry has taken easygoing and incompetent responses, especially, to the issue of Dokdo islets," Rep. Hong Ji- man, spokesman of the ruling Saenuri Party, told reporters at the National Assembly's headquarters on Monday.

Hong said that the unauthorized use was a disgrace to the country, while representing the ministry's amateurism, as it came amid mounting tensions with Japan over the rocky outcroppings.

The ministry reportedly said that the promotional video, which around 66 million won ($62,000) was spent to produce, was outsourced by a private production company, saying that revision will be made rapidly by another company.

Japan's foreign ministry posted an 87-second-long video on the YouTube in mid-October, renewing its sovereignty claims over the islets, located around 90 km southeast of South Korea's Ulleung Island. The video claimed that Japan set up its dominium on the islets in the 17th century and it was reconfirmed in 1905.

South Korea has maintained a small police detachment since 1954 to the islets.