The government has denied media reports that Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon proposed holding a South Korea-Japan summit during talks with Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe in Tokyo last month.

A government official said Monday that Ban did meet with Abe last month but did not request Abe to visit South Korea for summit talks in the event he's elected prime minister.

The official went on to say that proposing summit talks or inviting a figure who has yet to assume a top government post is not in line with existing diplomatic practices.

The official was quick to add, however, that Seoul is ready to hold summit talks with Japan if its prime minister pledges not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine.

Earlier on Sunday, the Tokyo Shimbun daily said Ban had told Abe in a meeting on August 9th that President Roh Moo-hyun is willing to hold summit talks with Japan for the sake of future-oriented bilateral ties.

The report also said that Ban had stressed the need for the next Japanese prime minister to set distorted historical facts straight.

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