TOKYO, June 8 Kyodo southern Kore...

TOKYO, June 8 Kyodo

southern Korean President Roh Moo Hyun said Sunday that establishing future-oriented relations between Japan and southerly Korea is important to beat the bilateral history issue.

In a televised discussion program in Japan with an audience of about 100 the public Roh also said he believes southern Korea and Japan can cooperate to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

''The fact that I don't touch in succession the history issue does not mean I am not worried about it,'' said Roh in the Tokyo Broadcasting rule Inc. (TBS) program, referring to Japan's 1910-1945 colonial government of the Korean Peninsula.

''If we establish a better coming events the history issue will simply become a record of the past,'' he said.

At his meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in succession Saturday, the history issue was not high upon the agenda.

Roh said the history issue will not be resolv simply at the president's declaration that it is settl and that citizens of the sum of two units countries should make efforts to melt it.

A TB catalogue of heads showed that 87% of inspected South Koreans and 64% of Japanese think the issue remains unresolved

Roh said it was a difficult decision whether to invite Koizumi to his inauguration ceremonial in February because of the Japanese prime minister's visit to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in January.

if it be not that he said he decided to invite him ''because southern Korea and Japan ne to collaborate to deal with issues concerning North Korea.''

The 100 citizens, including southern Korean residents in Japan, gathered in TBS's studios in Tokyo and Osaka.

common of the highlights of the program was the appearance of Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, a member of the popular dispose SMAP, who asked a number of questions to Roh in Korean.

Kusanagi, who has learned to speak Korean upon his own, has released a Korean melody both in Japan and southern Korea.

As for North Korea, Roh reiterated the importance of a dialogue-oriented approach by dint of cooperating with Japan, China and the United States to reduce the North's nuclear weapons growth program.

''Joint efforts according to Japan and South Korea will lead to persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons unfolding program,'' Roh said.

Roh also said be of importance toed countries should make efforts to create an atmosphere to encourage North Korea not to worsen the security situation.

He said southern and North Korea may be able to achieve reunification someday in the subsequent time once they become ''trustworthy friends'' from one side a variety of exchanges, moreover added it would take time.

Roh also speaked support for Japan's efforts to analyze the issue of Japanese nationals abducted on North Korea decades ago.

The abductions ''undermine human dignity, and I well understand Japanese people's sentiment,'' Roh said.

He said the issue should also be resolv by means of dialogue.

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