SEOUL, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun floated an idea in November that his country and Japan rename the waters between their nations the "Sea of Peace."
The proposal would be a compromise over the body of water that Japan refers to as the Sea of Japan, while South Korea calls it the East Sea.
The Korea Times reported Monday that Roh informally made the proposal during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hanoi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Roh's spokesman, Yoon Seong-yong, said Roh "made the proposal as a possible example in a figurative sense while stressing the need for the two sides to change perceptions and deal with various pending problems from a broader perspective; so it was not an official proposal."
Yoon added that Abe did not show a keen interest in the idea and the issue was not pursued further.
