South Korea Denounces Japanese Officials' Visits to Yasukuni Shrine

SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea denounced visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese officials and politicians Saturday, urging Japan's leaders to squarely face history and show remorse in order to develop bilateral relations based on mutual trust.

The foreign ministry issued a statement after Japanese ministers and lawmakers visited or sent ritual offerings to the controversial shrine, a symbol of Japan's militaristic past, on the anniversary of Japan's 1945 surrender in World War II.

"The government cannot but deplore the anachronistic and historically oblivious acts of responsible Japanese leaders who have once again made ritual offerings or paid visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past wars of aggression and honors convicted war criminals," the ministry said.

It urged Japan's leaders to face history squarely and show remorse for the past through their actions, calling it an important foundation for building future-oriented South Korea-Japan relations based on mutual trust.

Kim Hak-jo, director general for international policy at South Korea's defense ministry, summoned Takeshi Nagayoshi, Japan's defense attache in Seoul, to the ministry headquarters and lodged a strong protest over Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to the shrine, the ministry said.