South Korea has expressed deep concern after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine on Wednesday... to honor Japan's war dead.
Abe didn't go in person, but sent the offering with his special adviser to mark the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
The shrine is controversial because it also honors Class A war criminals.
Paying tribute there is seen in Korea and China as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, but Abe has sent an offering every year since he took office in 2012.
Seoul's foreign ministry said it's concerned over the leaders of the Japanese government and parliament paying tribute to a shrine that glorifies Japan's history of aggression.