3 days ago
S.Korea, China comment on 80th anniversary of WWII end
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has underscored his resolve to promote cooperation with Japan, calling it an "indispensable partner for economic development."
Lee delivered a speech on Friday at a ceremony in Seoul to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule.
Lee noted this year is also the 60th anniversary of the normalization of relations with Japan. He said it was time to squarely face the past, while wisely stepping forward into the future.
He said South Korea will be guided by the principle of engaging in pragmatic diplomacy focused on national interests.
Based on this, he said he will seek forward-looking, mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan by holding frank dialogues through "shuttle diplomacy," a term that refers to reciprocal visits by the two countries' leaders.
Lee also expressed hope that the Japanese government will squarely face up to the painful history between the two countries and strive to maintain trust between them.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry has responded with "disappointment and regret" to visits by Japanese lawmakers to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Friday.
Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead. Those remembered include leaders convicted of war crimes after World War Two.
Cabinet ministers were among the lawmakers who paid visits.
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru did not go but made a private cash offering in his capacity as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party.
In its statement, the South Korean government expressed "deep disappointment and regret over the fact that responsible leaders of Japan have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals."
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reiterated China's position regarding historical issues between Japan and China.
Wang spoke to reporters in the southern province of Yunnan on Friday as Japan marked 80 years since the end of World War Two.
The minister called it a war of aggression waged by Japanese militarists that brought grave disaster not only to the people of China and other Asian nations but also hurt the Japanese people themselves.
Wang noted that even today, some forces in Japan are trying to glorify the invasion, distort history and rewrite it.
He said that such actions are shameful and demeaning.
He added that only those who squarely face up to history can be respected and urged Japan to make the right choice.
