SEOUL - South Korea on Tuesday expressed regret over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ritual offering to the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on the occasion of its annual spring festival.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the government expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that Japan's responsible leaders once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals.

The ministry urged Japanese leaders to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's imperial past, stressing that these would be an important foundation for the future-oriented development of South Korea-Japan relations based on mutual trust.

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Earlier in the day, Takaichi sent a ritual "masakaki" tree offering to the war-linked shrine on the first day of its three-day ceremony.

Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors.

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For a long time, visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and opposition both at home and abroad, hurting the feelings of the people of China, South Korea, and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.