South Korea and Japan have decided to hold joint events this year to mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the foreign ministry said Friday, a decision which came despite long-running tension between the neighbors.

   "Having designated this year as the 50th anniversary of normalizing South Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, (the countries) decided to pursue a variety of commemorative events to step up cooperation and exchanges between the people of both countries," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

   "(Seoul) hopes the 50th anniversary could be a starting point for both South Korea and Japan to jointly pursue a new future," according to the ministry's statement.

   The ministry, however, did not elaborate on what kinds of joint events will be held while inviting private groups to join the hosting of the events.

   Ending antagonistic relations stemming from Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45, Seoul and Tokyo normalized their diplomatic ties in 1965.

   But a number of unresolved issues resulting from the colonization have often frayed bilateral relations, with the two countries currently feuding over South Korea's demand of compensation for South Korean women sexually enslaved by the imperial Japanese army during World War II.

   No visible progress has been made so far since the two countries kicked off monthly director-level talks to resolve the nagging issue. (Yonhap)