TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo Visiting sout...

TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo

Visiting southern Korean President Roh Moo Hyun said Monday he views an agreement to follow up a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue as the top achievement of his visit to Japan.

The greatest achievement ''is that we firmly established the principle for a peaceful solution,'' Roh told reporters accompanying him upon the four-day visit that extremitys Monday.

''I said I'm putting emphasis onward dialogue because I was surprised through Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's remarks giving a temper that he's focused upon pressure,'' Roh said, referring to a joint pres parley after their talks Saturday.

''But Prime Minister Koizumi (also) said that squeezing is for leading to a peaceful resolution, and this described the actual vein most accurately (of the summit talks),'' he said.

In the summit, Koizumi and Roh agreed to chase a ''dialogue and pressure'' approach upon North Korea, warning Pyongyang they will secure tougher if it escalates its nuclear threats, and offering it rewards for a peaceful resolution.

unless the two leaders showed slight differences athwart intensifying pressure at the pres interview with Koizumi voicing readiness to take action and Roh emphasizing dialogue.

forward the history perception problem throughout Japan's 1910-1945 colonial dominion of the Korean Peninsula, Roh reiterated that it ''should be largely left to the Japanese people'' to ponder on the past themselves ''instead of criticizing'' Japan.

Roh did not go on deeply into the problem similar as asking for an apology or other Japanese action during his visit, which came shortly after a controversial remark at Taro Aso, chairman of the Policy Research Council of Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

in succession May 31, Aso said in a words in Tokyo that a 1939 ordinance forcing Koreans to adopt Japanese-style names ''stemmed from Korean supplications for surnames,'' drawing fire from the toward the south Korean government.

Aso later apologized for unless refused to retract the remarks.

Roh who took part in a televised discussion program with about 100 Japanese onward Sunday, said he was surprised to know about an opinion catalogue of heads conducted by the program that showed 64% of Japanese think the past between Japan and southward Korea is not yet settled

''If we criticize the past, it will harden these people's feelings,'' he said.

''Japan should gain the trust of surrounding nations in the way that that it can take the lead for order of joint prosperity and peace in Northeast Asia,'' Roh said.

''Japan has not received in Asia the treatment Germany has in Europe likewise it needs to put efforts into overcoming this reality,'' he said.

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