S. Korea raps Aso`s offering to Yasukuni

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea expressed deep regret Tuesday over
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's gift to a war-linked shrine in central Tokyo,
which South Korea and many other Asian nations view as a symbol of Japan's
imperialist past.
"From the perspective of setting up a correct historical view, it is very
regrettable that Prime Minister Taro Aso made an offering at the Yasukuni Shrine,
which beautifies (Japan's) past invasions and houses war criminals," foreign
ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said in a brief statement.
Earlier in the day, Aso presented an evergreen tree, considered sacred in the
Shinto religion, at the shrine, which honors some 2.5 million war dead, mainly
those who perished during World War II, including more than a dozen Class A war
criminals. It has served as a symbol of Japan's right wing.
It was unclear whether the prime minister visited the shrine in person.
Relations between South Korea and Japan have often been troubled due to former
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine.
In meeting with Aso earlier this month, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
asked him not to follow in the footsteps of Koizumi.
"Ties between the two sides were frayed over the issue of the perception of
history, but their relations should not move backward," Lee told Aso in talks on
the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Thailand.
"I hope Japan, bearing the point in fact, will act prudently so as not to cause
misunderstanding," he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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