The government of the Republic of Korea expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that responsible leaders of Japan have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan’s war of aggression and enshrines war criminals.

The ROK government strongly urges the leaders of Japan to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan’s past history. The ROK government once again stresses that this constitutes an essential foundation for advancing a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship based on mutual trust between the two countries and their peoples.