South Korea's foreign and trade minister has voiced hope that Emperor Akihito may visit South Korea in the near future.
Yoon Young Kwan issued the entreaty during an interview earlier this week, with a state visit to Japan by South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun starting Friday.
"I hope both countries make efforts to create a favorable atmosphere that could lead to the Emperor's visit to (South) Korea," Yoon said.
An Imperial visit has been a touchy issue in Japan and in South Korea, where strong anti-Japanese sentiment lingers over Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945.