LEAD: China, S. Korea agree Koizumi to be blamed for meeting cancellation

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 12 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

China and South Korea renewed their criticism of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday, saying his visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine were to blame for the inability of the three countries to hold their annual summit, a South Korean official said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun, in Kuala Lumpur for a series of meetings of Asian leaders, also agreed in bilateral talks that it was up to Koizumi to mend Japan's ties with the two countries, the official said.

The South Korean official quoted Wen as saying that while China places importance on cooperation among the three countries, Koizumi has created an obstacle by visiting the shrine and hurting the feelings of the two nations' peoples.

Roh agreed, and emphasized the need to solve the Yasukuni issue as well as other problems stemming from Japan's militarist past, according to the official.

Both China and South Korea have refused to hold bilateral summit talks with Japan in Malaysia due to Koizumi's Yasukuni visits.

A trilateral summit, which has been held annually on the sidelines of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners since 1999, has also been called off.

China and South Korea both strongly oppose Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni, which enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals along with 2.47 million war dead.

Wen and Roh also exchanged views on North Korea's nuclear programs during their 50-minute discussions, with Wen saying the six-party talks on the North's nuclear ambitions are entering ''an important period,'' the official said.

Roh expressed hope that China would play a role in trying to convince North Korea to solve the nuclear issue, according to the official.

The latest round of the six-party talks -- involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- was held for three days in November and entered a recess, with the parties agreeing to return to the negotiating table at an early date.

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