Kim shocked by Japan's textbook stance
( 2001-07-10 15:35 ) (7 )

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, on Tuesday said he was shocked by Tokyo's refusal to revise a history book which has been criticised for whitewashing Japan's war record.

"I was shocked. It would not be of help to either South Korea or Japan for Japan to teach its people distorted history," local Yonhap News Agency quoted Kim as telling a cabinet meeting.

Japan formally told South Korea on Monday that it would make just two revisions of 35 that Seoul had demanded to textbooks due to go into Japanese schools next year.

Japan agreed to two changes about ancient history, but refused to amend passages on Japanese imperialism in the first half of the 20th century -- including its 35-year occupation of the Korean peninsula.

South Korea, like other Asian nations including China, has protested since Japan approved the textbooks earlier this year.

It has debated historical interpretations in the text and also the omission of topics such as Korean women being forced to provide sex to Japan's military during World War Two.