The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Friday apologized for using the term "alliance" to refer to security ties between South Korea, the United States and Japan, saying it should have been "security cooperation." Ho Jun-seok, a spokesperson for the PPP, made the announcement after a party commentary released Tuesday drew strong criticism among opposition lawmakers in a nation where resentment against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea still runs deep. "'South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation' is our official position," he said. "We apologize for the confusion caused by such an inaccurate expression by mistake." Ho clarified the expression "alliance" used in the commentary had different implications from the term meant as "automatic intervention in the event of a war," though he stressed that the leaders of the three countries had agreed on an unprecedented level of security cooperation in August last year. During an interpellation session Tuesday, Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party (DP) said PPP lawmakers are "out of their minds" for using the term "alliance," sparking strong protests from PPP lawmakers. The following day, DP floor leader Park Chan-dae expressed his "regrets" for Kim's "harsh remarks." Source: Yonhap News Agency