South Korea's Ministry of Education: ”We deeply regret Japan's passage of additional history-distorting textbooks...immediate correction required”

In response to the passage of additional junior high school social studies textbooks on the 19th, which contain historically distorted descriptions, such as the Japanese military never forcibly abducted "former comfort women,"
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea (corresponding to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan) expressed "deep regret" and demanded immediate correction.
"We express deep regret that the ministry has approved two additional middle school social studies textbooks that severely distort historical facts based on an erroneous view of history, and we demand that they be rectified immediately."
The South Korean Ministry of Education said, "The two additional junior high school social studies textbooks that were passed this time contain content that infringes on the Republic of Korea's territorial sovereignty over Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean), as well as the content of the Korean peninsula.
"The book justifies Japan's colonial rule and war of aggression against South Korea and contains serious distortions, such as the claim that the Japanese military never forcibly took away 'comfort women.'"
Prior to this, on the 22nd of last month, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced that it had revised the curriculum for history (8 types), civics (6 types) and geography classes, which contained the incorrect claim of sovereignty over Takeshima.
A total of 18 middle school social studies textbooks, including four textbooks for the 1940s and 1950s, have passed the inspection. In addition, eight history textbooks contain references to the mobilization of Korean laborers in the 1940s, such as "forced abduction."
No term was added, and although two history textbooks dealt with "former comfort women" of the Japanese military, they wrote "former comfort women" instead of "former military comfort women." This was misunderstood at a cabinet meeting in April 2021.
This follows a decision that it would be more appropriate to use the term "comfort women" rather than "military comfort women" due to concerns that this could lead to misunderstandings, and has been criticized as a step back in the expression of the history of aggression.
Immediately after the test was passed, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea stated, "In order for Japan and South Korea to untie the tangled knot and move towards a more constructive relationship, we must end our ongoing claims to sovereignty over Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean).
"We must start by correcting historical distortions and letting future generations know the truth," the South Korean Ministry of Education said on the same day.
"The decision to allow the DPRK to enter into a peace agreement with Japan is an irresponsible act," and "goes against the trend of development in Japan-Korea relations."
"I hope that the meaning of the "neighboring countries" clause and the Murayama Statement will be reaffirmed and that fundamental measures will be taken to prevent the recurrence of the problem of distortion in textbooks in the future," he said.
The Murayama Statement also includes the content that "when dealing with incidents occurring between Japan and other Asian countries, necessary consideration will be given from the standpoint of international understanding and cooperation."
"We have caused great damage and suffering to the people of South and East Asian countries. We humbly accept the indisputable historical facts, express our deep remorse, and offer our heartfelt apology."
The South Korean Ministry of Education said, "As the Japanese government has stated, we must humbly accept past history, face history squarely, and take responsible steps to build a future-oriented Japan-Korea relationship."
I look forward to it."