Yanxi Lake: Venue for APEC China 2014
Top 10 pricey destinations for studying abroad
Couple chase tornados to create perfect storm photos
Goddesses at Golden Eagle Festival
J-10 fighters show aerobatic stunts in smog-free sky
Top 10 charming female soldiers of the PLA
Charming contestants of Shanghai Int’l Model Contest
Most amazing chi-pao beauties
Beauties forever
Picturesque autumn scenery of Hongshan Army Horse Ranch
SEOUL, Oct. 17 -- South Korea on Friday deplored Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine during a four-day autumn festival.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a spokesman's statement that Abe's offering and some Japanese lawmakers'visit to the war-linked shrine were"beyond deplorable," noting it was an act of dismissing criticism from neighboring countries and the international society.
Earlier in the day, Abe dedicated a"masakaki" tree offering under the title of "prime minister" to the shrine, which glorifies Japan's past war of aggression and its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula during the World War , said the statement.
About 110 Japanese lawmakers from a nonpartisan group visited the shrine, which honors 14 Japanese military leaders convicted as Class-A war criminals along with other war dead.
The lawmakers included members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan as well as some other parties.
The statement said Japanese politicians'respect to the place where"convicted Class-A war criminals as leaders of war of aggression are enshrined" would be an act of snubbing an international order, urging Japanese politicians to firmly recognize this point.
It urged Japan to move toward a bright future by reflecting sincerely on its history, calling on Tokyo not to trap itself in the dark past.
Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine in December 2013, becoming the first Japanese prime minister in seven years who pays tribute to the notorious shrine. It stirred a wide range of condemnation and stern responses from Japan's neighboring countries, especially from China and South Korea.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has refused, since her inauguration in February 2013, to hold a bilateral summit with Abe, citing his wrong perception of history.
Abe dedicated his offerings to the shrine during the spring festival earlier this year and on Aug. 15 that marked the 69th anniversary of Japan's surrender in the World War.
Shocking! Photos of Chinese fighters revealed
Blue Angels thrill spectators in San Francisco
World's most intimidating nuclear weapons
Standard faces for each countries
Who is China's campus beauty queen?
Netizens fall in love with champion swimmer Ning Zetao
Vibrant 21-year-old and her own Cheongsam brand
Fashion style: Faye Wong vs Cecilia Cheung
Leading director Wang Quan'an detained for 'buying sex'
Top 10 handsome football players
Top 10 Chinese goddesses
Top 20 hottest women in the world in 2014
Top 10 fifth generation jet fighters in the world
Top 10 pure beauties in showbiz
Top 10 world's highest-paid models 2014
The most gorgeous Chinese women
Top 10 most handsome faces in AsiaDay|Week|Month