The 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever in Japan, sent a 10-meter-high tsunami ripping through towns and cities across the northeast coast on Friday. Japanese media estimate that at least 1,300 people were killed.

Leaders of South Korea's political parties expressed sympathy and pledged full support to help Japan recover from the disaster.

Chung Doo-un, a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National party, said in his message posted on Twitter, "In the wake of this incident, I hope to show that we are good neighbors with warm hearts."

Park Jie-won, floor leader of the opposition Democratic Party, also urged the government and private sector to work together closely to help in the rescue efforts.

A special South Korean team of rescue workers and search dogs was dispatched the previous day to the disaster zone to help the neighboring country's efforts to recover from the most powerful earthquake it has ever recorded.

South Korean celebrities also posted tweets.

Actor Park Joong-hoon referenced his 2009 disaster movie "Haeundae," which showed a massive tsunami sweeping away buildings and people in the southern port city of Busan. "This earthquake is much more disastrous (than the one in the movie), causing a real tsunami and recording a magnitude over 8. I hope our neighbor Japan can maneuver well through this disaster," Park's message read. 

Daum, a major South Korean Internet portal, was quick to open an online petition site asking local Internet users to show "friendship to our eternal neighbor." Word of a service that enabled people to donate to the Korea Red Cross via text message spread via Twitter. Such donations would be added to subscribers' phone bills.

Japan is geographically close yet emotionally remote to South Korea given the historical relationship between the two countries, as Japan's harsh 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula has left deep scars on the hearts of Koreans.

"Let's set aside bitter sentiment toward Japan this time," one Twitter user suggested, appealing for the public to support the relief efforts in the disaster zone.

"Although our relationship with Japan is intertwined with love and hate more than any other country, let's show a warm human reaction as mature Koreans," said a Twitter user under the handle "nawacontigo."

(Yonhap News)