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S. Korea voices 'strong regrets' over Abe's remarks, shrine visits
By 윤민식Published : April 25, 2013 - 10:39
Diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Japan escalated Wednesday when Seoul summoned Tokyo's ambassador and expressed "strong regrets" over nationalistic remarks made by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visits to a controversial war shrine.
South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun summoned Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho and urged Japan to "correct its distorted understanding of history and anachronistic remarks."
The fragile ties between South Korea and Japan came under fresh strain after visits over the weekend by Japanese ministers to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo that glorifies Japan's wartime atrocities.
Adding to the tension, Abe apparently raised doubts over Japan's history of "invasion" during a parliamentary session this week.
"The reason why I summoned you today morning is aimed at expressing strong regrets over distorted understanding of history and anachronistic remarks by the Japanese government and politicians," Kim told the Japanese ambassador in his opening remarks.
"We sincerely hope Japan to squarely face its past and correct its wrong perception and remarks, while thinking of enormous the pains and damages caused by Japan's colonial rule and invasion," Kim said in unusually frank language.
Bessho did not make his opening remarks.
South Korea has expressed "deep concern and regret" over the visits to the shrine, which honors past Japanese aggression that caused huge loss and pain to the people of neighboring countries and enshrines its war criminals.
In a diplomatic reprisal, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se scraped his planned visit to Japan this week.
Ignoring anger voiced by South Korea and China, nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine this week, marking one of the largest-ever trips by Japanese lawmakers to the site that glorifies Japan's wartime past.
In South Korea, memories are still fresh over Japan's brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945, which left deep scars on the hearts of Koreans as they were banned from using their own language at schools and forced to adopt Japanese names. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were also mobilized as forced laborers and sex slaves, euphemistically called "comfort women."
During a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, Abe reportedly told lawmakers that he was doubtful of the exact definition of "invasion," saying it can vary depending on who defines it. The remarks were apparently aimed at glossing over Japan's history of invasion and aggression during World War II.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for Japan to have a correct understanding of history.
"Korea-Japan relations are very important in security, economy and all other aspects. But it would be difficult (for the two countries) to move in a future-oriented manner if (Japan) holds incorrect perceptions of history and makes past scars worse," Park said at a meeting with managing editors of newspapers and broadcasters.
Park also said that Japan should work "harmoniously with the international community." If Japan continues its move to the right, its relations with many countries in Asia will become difficult, which is indeed not desirable for Japan as well, she said. (Yonhap News)
South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun summoned Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho and urged Japan to "correct its distorted understanding of history and anachronistic remarks."
The fragile ties between South Korea and Japan came under fresh strain after visits over the weekend by Japanese ministers to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo that glorifies Japan's wartime atrocities.
Adding to the tension, Abe apparently raised doubts over Japan's history of "invasion" during a parliamentary session this week.
"The reason why I summoned you today morning is aimed at expressing strong regrets over distorted understanding of history and anachronistic remarks by the Japanese government and politicians," Kim told the Japanese ambassador in his opening remarks.
"We sincerely hope Japan to squarely face its past and correct its wrong perception and remarks, while thinking of enormous the pains and damages caused by Japan's colonial rule and invasion," Kim said in unusually frank language.
Bessho did not make his opening remarks.
South Korea has expressed "deep concern and regret" over the visits to the shrine, which honors past Japanese aggression that caused huge loss and pain to the people of neighboring countries and enshrines its war criminals.
In a diplomatic reprisal, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se scraped his planned visit to Japan this week.
Ignoring anger voiced by South Korea and China, nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine this week, marking one of the largest-ever trips by Japanese lawmakers to the site that glorifies Japan's wartime past.
In South Korea, memories are still fresh over Japan's brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945, which left deep scars on the hearts of Koreans as they were banned from using their own language at schools and forced to adopt Japanese names. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans were also mobilized as forced laborers and sex slaves, euphemistically called "comfort women."
During a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, Abe reportedly told lawmakers that he was doubtful of the exact definition of "invasion," saying it can vary depending on who defines it. The remarks were apparently aimed at glossing over Japan's history of invasion and aggression during World War II.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for Japan to have a correct understanding of history.
"Korea-Japan relations are very important in security, economy and all other aspects. But it would be difficult (for the two countries) to move in a future-oriented manner if (Japan) holds incorrect perceptions of history and makes past scars worse," Park said at a meeting with managing editors of newspapers and broadcasters.
Park also said that Japan should work "harmoniously with the international community." If Japan continues its move to the right, its relations with many countries in Asia will become difficult, which is indeed not desirable for Japan as well, she said. (Yonhap News)
