Both South Korean ruling and opposition parties Monday unanimously accused Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine in defiance of the strong opposition from Asian countries.
The political parties also urged the South Korean government to take strong counter measures against Japan.
Ruling Millennium Democratic Party spokesman Jeon Yong-hak said Koizumi's visit to the place where 14 Class-A Japanese criminals of the Pacific War are enshrined is tantamount to piercing the Asian people with a knife and it is a declaration that Japan is no longer a peace-loving nation.
South Korea, in cooperation with other Asian nations, will make a concerted effort to prevent the specter of Japanese militarism from re-emerging, said the ruling party spokesman.
Opposition Grand National Party spokesman Kwon Chunl-hyun said Koizumi’s visit was a big shock as he made the visit in spite of the strong opposition from many Asian people and the people of conscience in Japan.
The prime minister may win the support of a limited number of people in Japan, but he will certainly lose the support of the world people, said the opposition spokesman.
Spokesman of the ruling coalition partner United Liberal Democrats Byun-ung-jun said Koizumi's visit to the place where the criminals who forced many people to die in the war in the capacity as prime minister was an unforgivable act of justifying the war.
Byun appealed to the government to review the South Korean- Japanese partnership.
Meanwhile, South Korean civic groups strongly denounced Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.
The South Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said it is unforgivable for the Japanese prime minister to worship the criminals.
It said Koizumi's visit is a challenge to all East Asian nations and a great threat to the region's peace. The council will deliver a strong message of protest to the Japanese embassy by holding a demonstration on August 15.
The Movement to Correct Japanese Textbooks said Koizumi's visit showed his contempt for Japan's neighbors despite opposition from them and civilian groups.
The visit to the shrine, a symbol of Japan's imperialist aggression, is a conspiracy to revive militarism, said the movement.
The Association for Promoting Compensation for Victims of the Pacific War said the change in date of the visit does not mean a change in its character and the visit means revival of militarism.
(Xinhua News Agency 08/14/2001)
