사진 확대

The ruling and opposition parties expressed regret by criticizing in unison Japan's Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi and other senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party when they visited Yasukuni shrine on the 15th, the day of Korea's liberation and Japan's defeat.

In a written briefing, Democratic Party of Korea spokesman Jeon Soo-mi criticized the visit to Yasukuni shrine by the Takaichi Cabinet and the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party at a time when the lessons of history must be thoroughly reflected.

Spokesman Jeon said, "The fact that the defense minister who should protect peace and the child policy minister who should nurture future generations bowed before the war criminals is a mistake for those who are trapped in distorted patriotism centered on their own country and trampled on the value of universal human rights and peace."

"I warn the Takaiichi Cabinet to immediately stop the historical regression of visiting Yasukuni shrine," the spokesman said. "Let us break away from the old specter of imperialism and see a true apology for the victims as an action."

"I deeply regret it," Kim Dae-sik, the opposition secretary of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and a "Japanese expert," said in a Facebook post.

"Defense Minister Koizumi visited the Seoul National Cemetery on June 27 and said he would deepen defense cooperation between Korea and Japan," Kim said. "Today's visit, less than two months later, is an act that undermines the trust that the two countries have built up."

"Japan's responsible leaders should face the history of the invasion and show true reflection as an action, not words," he said, adding, "Our government should also convey a clear and stern position to the Japanese side."