Korean civic groups are demanding the U.S. apologize for the controversial comments made by a senior U.S. official.
Protestors in front of the U.S. Embassy in Korea say remarks made by Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman last week target Korea and China, and let Japan get away with whitewashing its wartime atrocities.
Sherman's statement that... political leaders should not exploit nationalist feelings and "earn cheap applause by vilifying a former enemy."
The comments have sparked outrage among Korean lawmakers.
The U.S. State Department later clarified that Sherman's comments were not indicative of a change in Washington's stance on the historical tensions in Northeast Asia.