President Kim joins Japanese textbook row

The South Korean president Kim Dae-jung has urged Japan to adopt a correct understanding of history, in a growing row over new Japanese textbooks.

Critics say the history books appear to justify Japan's aggression by arguing that its invasion of its Asian neighbours liberated them from western colonisers.

In an address on the eighty-second anniversary of an uprising against Japanese rule, President Kim urged Japan to improve ties with its neighbours to overcome the problems of the past.

Thousands of people took part in protest rallies in Seoul over the book and on Wednesday the Japanese ambassador to Seoul was summoned to the Foreign Ministry. The South Korean national assembly has urged the government to reconsider any further opening of its markets to Japanese cultural products unless Japan abandons the book.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service