South Korea slammed the extremist Islamic State (IS) group Monday for its purported killing of another Japanese hostage, saying that innocent civilians should not be the target of terrorism.

The IS claimed last weekend that it had beheaded journalist Kenji Goto, a second Japanese hostage that it had been holding following its killing of Japanese Haruna Yukawa the previous week.

The South Korean government expressed its deep condolences to the victim's family and the Japanese government, saying it cannot help feeling resentment in response to the deaths of innocent Japanese civilians.

"The Seoul government reaffirmed its stance that the sacrifice of innocent civilians through terrorist acts cannot be justified for any reason," South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement. "We will continue to join the global community's efforts to eradicate terrorism."

(Yonhap)