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S.Korea Re-urges Japan to Respect History
South Korea Thursday said it will take strong counter measures if Japan approves new history textbooks that whitewashes the atrocities of Japanese troops during the World War II.
At an emergency meeting with the participation of senior officials from related government organs, South Korea has decided to issue an official protest statement stressing the need for " history education based on the truth" if the Japanese government authorizes the textbook.
In addition, South Korea will demand a revision of the textbook after fully reviewing its contents, dispatching a special envoy to Japan and postponing its timetable for opening South Korean market further for Japanese cultural products.
Earlier Thursday, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Han Seung-soo called on Japanese ambassador to South Korea Terusuke Terada, requiring Tokyo to make prudent decision on the textbook based on "friendly ties between the two nations."
The South Korean minister also phoned his Japanese counterpart Yohei Kono Thursday to re-stress Seoul's position on the matter.
It is reported that the Japanese Education Ministry will likely authorize the new middle school history textbook written by a nationalist right-wing group next week.
Japan reportedly has informed Seoul that its screening of the new history textbook is in the final stage and the result will be announced next Tuesday.
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