http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060104-012335-5084r
S. Korea blasts Koizumi's shrine visit
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- South Korea's foreign minister Wednesday
blasted his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizum's for defense of
his controversial war shrine visit.
Earlier that day, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi criticized China
and South Korea for cutting off dialogue with Japan due to a
dispute over his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.
"I cannot understand the attitude of foreign governments in which
they meddle in the issue of minds and take them as diplomatic
issues," Koizumi said in a new year's news conference.
In a quick response, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon
urged Japanese leaders to adopt a correct understanding of modern
history to improve ties with its neighbors.
"The key to closer regional cooperation is for Japan to have the
correct perception of history," Ban told a weekly news
briefing.
"The South Korea-Japan relations were strained last year due to the
(shrine) issues. It is a very unfortunate thing," Ban said.
"I hope Japanese leaders will have the correct perception of
history, as not only South Korea but other neighboring nations have
similar positions on the issues."