South Korean Ambassador to Japan Cho Se Hyung voiced further anger Monday over the visit paid by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day.
The Shinto shrine honors the nation's war dead as well as convicted war criminals hanged after World War II.
"We are surprised and disappointed that Prime Minister Koizumi paid his respects at the shrine, honoring Class-A war criminals who inflicted damage and agony beyond description on the people of South Korea," Cho told Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi, according to a Japanese official.
He also voiced concern that the visit will have a negative impact on bilateral ties when the two countries need to work together to resolve the standoff with North Korea. Cho said Seoul hopes Koizumi will not visit Yasukuni again and urged Japan to resolve the issue in a fundamental way, such as building a national cemetery for the war dead.
Takeuchi replied that Koizumi visited the shrine to pledge that Japan would never again wage war.