SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea expressed deep regret Thursday over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to the controversial war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on the occasion of Japan's annual autumn festival.

South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement that the government "expresses deep regret" over the offering or visits by the Japanese government and parliamentary leaders to the Yasukuni Shrine that "glorifies Japan's history of wars of invasion."

It noted that Japan can contribute to the future-oriented development of South Korea-Japan relations and win trust from neighboring countries and the international community only when Japanese responsible leaders show "humble introspection and reflection" on the past through action.

Abe sent his offering to the war shrine earlier in the day for the shrine's four-day autumn festival, while Seiichi Eto, minister in charge of Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, paid a visit to the shrine.

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from WWII.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese leaders to the infamous shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.