Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said Thursday that there was no proof
that so-called "comfort women" were forced into sexual slavery during the war.
The remark triggered outrage throughout Asia.
Abe's statement is "aimed at glossing over the historical truth and our
government expresses strong regret," said a statement from South Korea's
Foreign Ministry.
The statement said the comment "made (us) doubt the sincerity" of Japan's
repeated apologies for its wartime past.
"We once again urge responsible leaders of Japan to have a correct
understanding of history," the ministry said.
Historians say that about 200,000 women, mostly from Korea and China, served in
Japanese military brothels throughout Asia in the 1930s and 1940s.
Many victims say they were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery by Japanese
troops.
Abe's statement contradicted evidence in Japanese documents, unearthed in 1992,
that historians said showed that military authorities had a direct role in
working with contractors to forcibly procure women for the brothels.
The remark also cast doubt on a 1993 Japanese government apology to the sex
slaves.
Earlier, in Washington, South Korea's Foreign Minister Song Min-soon also
criticized Abe, saying people who doubt that the Japanese Imperial Army forced
Asian women into sexual slavery during the war had "better face the truth."
South Korea was a colony of Japan in 1910-45. Many South Koreans still harbor
resentment toward Japan's occupation.
The two countries are now important trade partners, but their political relations have often been affected by rows stemming from the colonial rule.
