Abe, Park hold phone talks on ties

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held telephone talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye late Wednesday in an effort to mend ties scratched by territorial row.

During their talks, Abe said that Japan and South Korea share similar values of freedom and democracy and are neighbors with common interests, adding that both sides should closely cooperate so as to build up"future-oriented"relations through an overall perspective.

For her part, Park said the two countries are important partners in the East Asian region and her nation is willing to establish a "future-oriented" relationship with Japan.

Park emphasized that looking squarely towards history is key for the two countries to build up such bilateral relations.

Earlier this month, Park urged the Japanese side to take" responsible"attitude towards history, referring to Japan's 1910- 45 colonial occupation.

Both sides also agreed to cooperate with the United States in the UN Security Council to seek approval of a new resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which conducted a nuclear test in February.

Relations between Japan and South Korea soured due to a pair of islands, which are called as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, in the Sea of Japan. The islets are controlled by South Korea.