South Korea's Yoon says Japan has transformed into a partner

SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday said Japan was a partner nation that shares universal values, indicating that Seoul seeks to mend the fractious ties with its former occupier at a time of rising regional threats.

"A century after the March First Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values with us," Yoon said in a speech to commemorate the 104th anniversary of a protest movement against Japan's 35-year occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.