Government Shows Negative Signs to Koizumi`s Visit to Seoul

Koizumi Juichiro, Japan`s Prime Minister, expressed his wish to visit Korea and China to recover the damaged relationships. However, the Korean and Chinese government tossed it aside demanding the Japan`s sincere measures in advance.

Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro ordered the Japan`s Foreign Ministry to prepare for the visit to Korea and China before the APEC summit in Shanghai on Oct. 20.

Japan`s Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro is known as to visit Korea and China to recover the broken relationship with those countries by the distortion of the history textbook and his worship to the Yaskuni temple.

Responding to the report, the Korean government reiterated its previous position that ``the Prime Minister Koizumi`s visit to Seoul or the Korea-Japan summit talk will not take place before the Japanese government takes sincere steps about the distortion of the history textbook and the Prime Minister`s worship to the Yaskuni temple.``

A government official mentioned that ``only when the Japanese, the trouble maker, takes measures to resolve the problems, the Prime Minister`s visit to Seoul and the Korea-Japan summit talk can be discussed.``

Another government official remarked that ``while [the Korean government] have not received any official request for the Prime Minister`s visit to Seoul from Japan, the Japanese press reported such news. It seems like it was a maneuver by the press to monitor our response. It is very regrettable.``

A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry also mentioned, ``we expect that Japan carries out the promised measures and shows in action that Japan respects the measures.``

Lee Young-Ee yes202@donga.com