South Korean President Park Geun-hye, right, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, third from left, as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Sung Kim, second from left, and U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, left, look on before their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Hagel will spend several days in South Korea before heading to Japan. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has criticized Japan over historical and territorial disputes during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Seoul and Tokyo have long bickered over the ownership of tiny islets, a Japanese war shrine and other issues stemming from Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-1945. Their ties have further soured due to recent nationalistic events and remarks in Japan.
President Park Geun-hye was quoted as saying in a statement Monday that trust between Seoul and Tokyo has not been established due to Japanese leaders’ repeated “regressive” remarks on history and territorial issues.
Park made the comments after Hagel expressed hopes for improved ties between Seoul and Japan.
She says Japan must show a sincere attitude toward a people still suffering from colonial occupation.
