South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday that Japan should face its history and take measures to cure the deep scars it inflicted on the hearts of Koreans during its colonial rule here if the two countries are to establish a genuine friendship, sources said.

Park made the remark during a meeting with Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, saying that it is regrettable that historical issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule are still preventing relations between the two countries from moving forward, according to the presidential office.

Seoul-Tokyo relatons are again on the rocks as tensions flared anew over Japan's claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, a set of volcanic outcroppings that lies in the waters between the two countries but closer to the Korean Peninsula.

The two sides have also sparred over Seoul's long-running demand that Tokyo address the grievances of elderly Korean women who were forced into sexual enslavement for Japanese troops during World War II.

"It is regrettable that historical issues and other pending matters are obstructing the relations between the two countries from moving forward in a future-oriented manner," Park was quoted as telling Aso.

"Should the neighboring countries -- South Korea and Japan -- establish  genuine friendly relations, (Japan) should make sure past scars will no longer worsen and try to cure them while facing up to history."

Park also said that leaders of the two sides should be careful about what they say and do so as to help build trust between the two nations and help future generations move forward, according to the presidential office.

Aso said that the two countries should work harder to build closer cooperative ties as they are important neighbors and there are many areas where they need to cooperate, including international efforts to end North Korea's nuclear programs.

Earlier, Park also met with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

South Korean companies have been vying for a massive river re-engineering project that Thailand has been working on ever since it was hit by severe flooding in 2011. It was unclear whether the issue was raised during the meeting.

Park told Yingluck that South Korea will try to share its water management experiences and technologies with the Southeast Asian nation and expressed hope for greater cooperation over Thailand's high-speed railway project, the presidential office said.

Yingluck said her country also wants to work with South Korea on both of these projects, according to Park's office.

Park also met with Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong. Liu handed Park personal letters from President Hu Jintao and his incoming successor Xi Jinping, saying that Beijing thinks highly of its relations with Seoul and wants to continue to improve them.

Other foreign guests Park met included Russia's Far East Development Minister Viktor Ishayev, and Singaporean Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. (Yonhap News)