Pres. Park calls for Japan's courage to resolve past wrongdoings

President Park Geun-Hye has called for Japan's courage and sincerity to face up to history and write a new one along with its neighboring ally South Korea.

Park made the remarks on Sunday at a ceremony marking Korea's 1919 nationwide uprising against Japan's brutal 1910-45 colonial rule.

Park said in her speech that it is 'high time' the two countries write a new history together as more mature partners for the next 50 years as Germany and France overcame their past wartime enmity to help build a new Europe.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's colonial rule as well as the 50th anniversary of normalized ties between the two neighbors.

Park also stressed that the so-called 'comfort women' issue is a historical task that must be resolved without delay. She added Japan's move to distort history textbooks equivocating its World War Two atrocities would only do harm to relations with its neighboring nations.