South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers a speech during a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalisation of Japan-South Korea bilateral relations at a hotel in Seoul, South Korea, June 22, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday stressed the importance of curing historical scars left by Japan to open a new future between the two countries.

Park made the comments at the reception hosted by the Japanese embassy in Seoul and held at a hotel in South Korea to mark the 50th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties between the two neighbors.

Park said that this year provides a historic opportunity for the two countries to move toward a new future, noting that both South Korea and Japan should make this year a turning point going together toward a new cooperation and a future of co-prosperity

Indicating the way of materializing the opportunity, Park said that it would be important to break a way of laying down a heavy burden of historical affairs, "the biggest obstacle" to improving relations between the two countries.

Such a start would make this year become the first year of opening a new future between South Korea and Japan, Park said.

President Park has refused, since her inauguration in early 2013, to sit face-to-face with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, citing his wrong perception of history.