Park urges Japan to perceive history correctly

SEOUL -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye urged Japanese leaders to have correct understanding of history to develop future-oriented relationship between the two countries.

"I hope to move towards future-oriented relationship with Japan based on correct understanding of history," Park said in an interview with CNN, according to the statement posted Tuesday on the website of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

"It has been my desire to leave to my future generations a legacy of friendship and a legacy of being able to work together," Park said.

Park urged the current Japanese leaders to honor the past apologies made by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono and former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.

"We were able to move forward with Korea's relationship with Japan over the years because Japanese political leaders have clearly stated through the Murayama as well as the Kono statement their correct understanding of history and this has allowed us to move our relationship forward," said Park.

Her comments came amid the frayed ties between Seoul and Tokyo after Japan's cabinet members visited the controversial Yasukuni shrine, a symbol of Japan's militarism with 14 class-A convicted war criminals enshrined.

President Park has harshly denounced the Japanese leadership for no repentance over its past atrocities undue the colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, citing the so-called comfort woman, or South Korean women forced to be mobilized by Japan as sex slaves during the World War II.

Tokyo regularly provoked Seoul by claiming its sovereignty over a chain of islets known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

Park had yet to hold summit with her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe though her predecessors tended to select Japan as the second destination for their overseas travel. Park made a state visit to China in June last year for summit talks after visiting the United Sates a month earlier.