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President Roh Moo-hyun said Monday, "If there's one piece of advice I'd like to give Japan, it's that while citizens and one or two politicians engrossed in their own popularity may frequently make reckless statements that hurt us, at least national leaders shouldn't [do so]."
It was interpreted that Roh had in mind Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's announcement that he would visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine every year.
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President Roh Moo-hyun delivers a speech at the ceremony commemorating the 85th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement of 1919 on Monday morning at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts.
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President Roh, diverting from a pre-distributed script in a speech marking the 85th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement at Seoul's Sejong Cultural Center, said, "[Japanese leaders] shouldn't think that everything's been resolved just because Korean political leaders don't insist on talking about changes in the Japanese legal system or unresolved problems between Korea and Japan."
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President Roh Moo-hyun shouts ˇ°Man-saeˇ± three times with participants at March 1st Independence Movement commemoration ceremony at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Monday.
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In particular, Roh said, "Our citizens are restraining themselves, and in particular, the [Korean] government in restraining itself, in the belief that restraining hurtful talk will help in building the future we must make for ourselves. Japan, too, must do its best so that both Korean citizens and the Korean government are able to restrain themselves."
Roh said, however, "I won't discuss this further. We, too, have to refrain from responding emotionally when Japan says something." He added, "Whether it's past history or the future of Northeast Asia, these are things that cannot be built upon emotion." Concerning Roh's remarks, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon Tai-young said, "Please interpret them at face value."
In addition, Roh said, "In order to relieve tension between those who fought against the Japanese and those that were pro-Japanese and those who could do nothing but keep their mouths shut, the many conflicts that sprung up between leftists and rightists, and heal wounds that have yet to heal, we must look back at ourselves with a new historical eye and create wisdom with which we can forgive and reconcile."
Roh said he'll work to set history straight, and confessed that he felt ashamed at the difficulties independence activists and their descendants have experienced.
"I believe that to treat these people properly is to show that our historical understanding and conscientiousness is alive," and, "The government will do its best to ensure that descendents of those who sacrificed themselves can live with pride and diginity."
Roh said, "Like 85 years ago, during the March 1st Independence Movement, when all citizens overcame their differences and became one, let us once again overcome our differences," Continuing, he said, "Let political parties that divide the nation into regions come together, and let's end the politics of emotional confrontation."
He explained, "Whether you're pro-American and anti-American cannot become a yardstick to evaluate us." He said, "We must strengthen our autonomy step by step and build up the abilities of an independent nation, and let's evaluate ourselves on whether what we're doing is necessary or unnecessary in achieving that goal."
In the previously distributed copy of the President's speech, Roh stressed the overcoming of regional confrontation, saying, "There must be determination on the part of the citizens to overcome regionalism in this general election." Yoon Tai-young, however, said that the original speech had been cancelled.
(Lee Ji-hye, wigrace@chosun.com )
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