Assembly speaker to write Japan protest letter

National Assembly Speaker Lee Man-Sup conveyed his deep regret over Japan`s attempt to distort history in its textbooks and called for prompt and earnest action by Japan to remedy the situation. An official letter to that effect will be delivered to the lower house speaker at the Japanese Diet, Tamisu Watanuki.

On Tuesday, Lee met with Rep. Lee Bu-Young, vice president of the Grand National Party and Rep. Kim Won-Wung of the opposition party, and Reps. Kim Mi-Kyung and Kim Tae-Hong of the Millennium Democratic Party, who will be leaving for Japan Thursday and asked them to take the letter.

In the letter, the parliamentary leader said that on behalf of the Korean legislature he was expressing his profound regret at some contents of the lately authorized high school history textbooks which attempt to whitewash and justify Japan`s past wrongs. Such distortion of history will do great harm to the evolution of constructive ties of cooperation between the two nations in the 21st century and to a search for peace and reconciliation in Asia, the letter said.

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Kim Chang-Hyuk chang@donga.com