Emperor Akihito must repent for Japan's past wrongdoings if he visits Seoul: PM

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- Japanese Emperor Akihito should be willing to repent
for his country's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsusla if he is to visit South
Korea, Seoul's prime minister said Friday.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has invited the Japanese monarch to visit
South Korea in 2010 to mark the beginning of a new relationship between their
countries. The Japanese emperor has yet to respond to the invitation.
"If the Japanese emperor is to visit our country, (he must be) firmly determined
to repent for (Japan's) past (wrongdoings) and establish a new Korea-Japan
relationship," Prime Minister Chung Un-chan said during an interpellation session
at the National Assembly.
"Though the government has taken a moderate and practical stance in the field of
international diplomacy, principles must be kept" regarding past issues, he said.
Japan ruled Korea as a colony from 1910-45 before the penisula was divided into
North and South. Critics say Japan should fully apologize for its crimes during
the period, including the sexual enslavement of women from the nations it ruled.
In a summit with Lee last year, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed
a strong desire to improve Japan's relations with South Korea, saying he will
"face up to history."
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)

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