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Members of Movement for One Korea hold a press conference outside the presidential office in Seoul’s Yongsan District on Sept. 27 where they call on the government to walk back plans to send a delegation to the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan. (Shin So-young/The Hankyoreh)

Members of the Seoul chapter of the group Movement for One Korea held a press conference Monday afternoon in front of the presidential office in the city’s Yongsan District to call on Seoul to withdraw plans to send a South Korean government delegation to the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which was scheduled to take place Tuesday.

“Enough with humiliating ourselves diplomatically for the sake of a South Korea-Japan summit!” they chanted.

“The visits to pay respects at Yasukuni Shrine, the gaffes and denials of the truth regarding the Japanese military ‘comfort women,’ the sloppily put-together December 2015 comfort women agreement, the demands to take down Statues of Peace [symbolizing the comfort women] — all of these happened during Shinzo Abe’s term,” the group said, stressing that the South Korean delegation should not attend his funeral.

A member of Movement for One Korea holds up a sign on Sept. 27 calling on the government to walk back plans to send a delegation to the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan. (Shin So-young/The Hankyoreh)

The participants also said, “While President Yoon Suk-yeol has whitewashed Shinzo Abe into someone who ‘dedicated himself to the prosperity and development of Asia,’ Abe is the figure who not only refused to acknowledge Japan’s responsibility for atrocious violations of human rights, but also sought to make Japan into a country capable of waging war.”

They proceeded to call on the South Korean government to “withdraw its plans to send a South Korean delegation to a funeral that is being held with the purpose of carrying on Shinzo Abe’s aims.”

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was scheduled to depart South Korea on Tuesday to attend Abe’s state funeral, leading a government delegation that was also to include National Assembly Deputy Speaker Chung Jin-suk and South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk-min. The pictures here were taken at the two respective scenes.

People Power Party lawmaker Chung Jin-suk, who serves as chair of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union, speaks to reporters at Gimpo International Airport before departing for Japan on Sept. 26. (pool photo)

Members of Movement for One Korea hold a press conference outside the presidential office in Seoul’s Yongsan District on Sept. 27 where they call on the government to walk back plans to send a delegation to the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan. (Shin So-young/The Hankyoreh)

Members of Movement for One Korea hold a press conference outside the presidential office in Seoul’s Yongsan District on Sept. 27 where they call on the government to walk back plans to send a delegation to the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan. (Shin So-young/The Hankyoreh)

By Shin So-young, staff reporter

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