Koizumi seeks improved South Korean ties

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has met with President Kim Dae-Jung in Seoul on a trip aimed at forging ties with South Korea -- renewing hope that decades of animosity between the two countries is coming to an end.

In ten weeks time, both nations will be jointly hosting the prestigious World Cup football finals and Koizumi said before his arrival that deepened "friendly and cooperative relations" should not end after the tournament.

Cultural exchanges between the East Asian nations are at their peak, with South Korea opening its markets to Japanese popular culture.

Japanese and South Korean actors are also sharing top billing in several recent films like "Lost Memories."

Young people in the streets of Seoul reflect this new mood.

"I used to really dislike the Japanese," says Lee Shin-kook, a university freshman. "But now I don't feel that way. They don't seem so bad."

Benevolent

Even some of the more elderly South Koreans, those who lived through the harsh Japanese occupation in the early 1900s are sounding benevolent.

Dong Hyung-Il was born during the Japanese occupation and was 12 years old when Korea was liberated. He still remembers the tough times and how the Japanese forced his family to change their family name to the Japanese Hinokawa.

But recently, Dong feels differently.

"I've been to Japan several times," he says, "and I think am starting to change my perception of the Japanese."

South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung has emphasized the importance of bilateral relations in a meeting with his foreign ministry officials on the eve of the Japanese leader's visit.

Protests

Nevertheless, there are plenty of those who are not so willing to change.

From the day before the Japanese leader's visit, anti-Japanese protests were held on Seoul streets.

Activists opposed the visit and an investment treaty to be signed by the leaders of two countries in a move to expand economic ties.

The Japanese leader is expected to try to further woo the already mellowed sentiment during his visit.

He will visit historic sites in South Korea and even try his hand at learning a traditional Korean musical instrument.

Although these images may be able to do just that, many point out the more important task is how to make this good feeling last beyond the World Cup.