The bitter past took a back seat to present dangers when South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun told Japanese lawmakers yesterday that cooperation between their countries was vital for a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis.
In a speech to the Japanese parliament, Roh -- the first South Korean leader born after Japan's harsh 1910 to 1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula -- said Seoul would never tolerate the possession of nuclear arms by Pyongyang.
But sticking to the theme he had stressed throughout his four-day visit, Roh added: "At the same time, I believe that this problem must be resolved peacefully through dialogue."
Just after Roh's speech ended, North Korea said that it wanted nuclear weapons to allow it to reduce the size of its huge conventional forces and divert funds to its impoverished economy.
Roh and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed in a summit on Saturday to seek a diplomatic solution to the North Korean crisis but diverged on how to achieve that goal.
Roh has emphasized the importance of dialogue while Koizumi spoke of a tougher response if Pyongyang escalated the situation.
"South Korea and Japan have together experienced in the previous century the tragedy of war. Those wounds are still not healed," Roh said.
Japan's colonial rule of Korea has often clouded relations between the two neighbors, but Roh has tried to keep history from spoiling his visit in order to concentrate on the threat both countries feel from North Korea.
"An escalation of conflict and tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia would be an unfortunate situation for us all," Roh added. "That is the urgent reason that we must resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully."
Roh came under fire at home for dining with Japanese Emperor Akihito on Friday, just as Japan's parliament enacted a law to bolster its military's ability to respond to a foreign attack.
Roh noted such concerns, but said cooperation between the Asian neighbors and with the US was vital -- not least to resolve the problem of North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
"South Korea, Japan and the US are now maintaining close and positive cooperative ties for the sake of the peace of the Korean Peninsula and East Asia," Roh said. "This cooperation will continue unchanged."
Tensions mounted on the Korean Peninsula -- the last Cold War frontier -- after U.S. officials said last year that Pyongyang had admitted to pursuing a secret nuclear arms program.
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