A weekly magazine's editorial department has apologized for what has been widely slammed as discriminatory coverage of South Koreans, with the magazine having branded them as pathologically quick-tempered and insisted that Tokyo cut ties with Seoul because the neighbor is "troublesome."

In the latest edition, published Monday, Shukan Post ran two sensational articles related to recently strained Japan-South Korean relations. One was headlined "Goodbye to the troublesome neighbor. We don't need South Korea," and the other "Unable to contain anger: 'South Korean illness.'"

The editorial department of Shukan Post, which is released by leading publisher Shogakukan Inc., issued a statement Monday night apologizing for the article that described South Koreans as prone to anger. The piece, it admitted, was "misleading" and "inconsiderate."