Roundup: S. Koreans unsparing of praise for Hatoyama's apology for Japan's wartime atrocities

South Koreans gave their unsparing praise for former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who knelt down in front of a monument in Seoul for victims of Japan's colonization during World War II and apologized for wartime atrocities.

Hatoyama came to Seoul Wednesday to participate in a forum for East Asian peace, hosted jointly by civic groups, politicians and provincial governments to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

The former Japanese leader toured Seodaemun Prison in Seoul, where a number of Korean independence fighters were imprisoned and tortured after Japan's colonization.

During a 40-minute tour, Hatoyama bowed his head 11 times to give silent prayers. He knelt down in front of the memorial stone for the victims of Japan's wartime brutalities.

South Korean citizens exalted Hatoyama's remorseful and apologetic attitude and words toward Japan's past atrocities.

One netizen said in a social network services (SNS) account that such heartfelt attitude itself can open a path to reconciliation and prosperity between Seoul and Tokyo, criticizing incumbent Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has yet to make a sincere apology for the Imperial Japan's war of aggression and colonization.

Abe is slated to issue his own statement Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. South Korea repeated call for Abe to inherit right perception of history shown in previous WWII anniversary statements by Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 and by Junichiro Koizumi in 2005.

Another netizen said that Hatoyama did what Abe must do on his behalf, and another urged Abe to learn lessons from what Hatoyama did. Some praised Hatoyama for his brevity and sincerity, and others said that his words and action consoled South Korean people in their prolonged pain of the past colonization.

Hatoyama told reporters at the symbol of Japan's past brutalities that Abe's statement should include what Japan did in the past, citing Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula and its aggression into China. He said apology and remorse should necessarily be included in the statement, wishing that Abe would comment on those with a heartfelt mind.

The former prime minister, who once headed the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said that many Korean independence fighters, including Ryu Gwan-sun, were imprisoned and tortured by Japan, which inflicted harsh things on them and resulted in loss of lives.

Hatoyama said that he sincerely apologized for the past wrongdoings and that he was standing here in the prison with a heavy heart. Ryu Gwan-sun is a high school student who led the March 1 independence uprising against the Japanese colonial rule in 1919. She passed away in the prison after being brutally tortured by Japan. Endi