SEOUL: The leaders of South Korea and Japan broke an extended diplomatic freeze Monday with a rare summit that saw agreement on trying to resolve sensitive historical disputes that have tainted ties for decades.
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed a range of topics including the thorny issue of the so-called "comfort women," forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.
It was their first ever one-on-one meeting with Park having previously rebuffed all summit proposals, arguing that Tokyo had yet to properly atone for its wartime past and 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.
While it was unlikely to mend the many broken fences between the two neighbours, it was seen as an important step towards a more pragmatic partnership that is less encumbered by decades of rancour and bitterness.
Park began the meeting by stressing the need to "heal the wounds of the past," and the presidential Blue House said their talks did not shy away from tough issues.
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