SKorea: Japan must educate its people about WWII

SKorea: Japan must educate its people about WWII

NEW YORK (AP) — South Korea’s foreign minister tells The Associated Press that Japan’s wartime past will overshadow relations between the two staunch U.S. allies until Japan educates its people about crimes committed during colonial rule.

In an interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said: “We are victims of Japanese colonial rule.”

Kim, who will meet with Japan’s foreign minister later today, also said South Korea would not compromise in their dispute over the tiny Dokdo islands, called Takeshima by Japan, which has pitched ties further downward.

But he said South Korea recognizes its shared interests with fellow-democracy Japan, such as coping with North Korea.

He said Seoul wants to expand relations with Japan, including in military cooperation, but only if South Korean public sentiment allows it.