South Korea called on Japan Monday to show sincerity toward healing the wounds of history amid concerns Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may not apologize for wartime wrongdoings in a landmark statement due in August.

Abe told public broadcaster NHK Saturday that he would not use key words describing Japan's apology over its wartime atrocities shown in the past when he issues a new statement in August to mark the 70th anniversary of the country's defeat in World War II.

Japan issued two key statements containing apologies for past wrongdoings -- the 1993 apology on the sex slavery issue, named the Kono Statement, and the 1995 apology for Japan's colonial rule, named the Murayama Statement.

Abe, a nationalistic politician, has said he will express remorse over Japan's role in the war, but there is a prevailing view that he will water down the spirit of past administrations' apologies.

Seoul's foreign ministry renewed its push for Japan to face up to its history, stressing that Abe's new statement should be made based on a correct understanding of the past.

"I'm sure that the Japanese government well understands the meaning of every word of the past statements," an official told reporters, asking that he not be named. "If Abe really wants to inherit the correct understanding of history, Japan should heal historical wounds so that it can mend ties with its neighboring countries and win confidence from the international community."

In June, Japan angered Seoul and Beijing, both victims of Tokyo's wartime aggression, by saying that its 1993 apology over the sex slave issue was the outcome of a political compromise between Seoul and Tokyo. (Yonhap)