South Korea expressed confidence Tuesday it will resume trilateral summit talks with China and Japan in the coming months.

"All three nations have a sufficient consensus on the need for normalizing three-way cooperation by holding the summit within this year," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said at a press briefing.

As the chair of this year's trilateral sessions, South Korea will continue "leading diplomatic efforts" toward a summit, he added.

The Northeast Asian countries are in related consultations, according to Noh.

He cited Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se's meetings with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts -- Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida -- on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia in early August.

If a trilateral summit is held, it would also set the stage for rare talks between President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The annual group summit of the three regional powers was launched in 2008, but it was last held in Beijing in 2012 amid historical disputes. China usually sends its premier to the talks.

South Korea, however, remains cautious about a separate summit between Park and Abe amid strained bilateral ties.

"There is no change in our position regarding a South Korea-Japan summit. Basically, we are open to it," Noh said. "But there should be talks for the two countries to build sustainable trust, not talks for the sake of talks. For that, conditions should be created for such talks."

In his World War II anniversary speech last week, the Japanese prime minister evaded giving his own apology for the nation's militaristic past, including the brutal colonization of Korea from 1910-45. He instead vowed to uphold past formal apologies by his predecessors.

Delivering her Liberation Day speech a day later, the South Korean president said Abe's statement left much to be desired and called for "sincere actions," not rhetoric, to address the history issue. (Yonhap)