President Park Geun-hye vowed Saturday to resolve difficulties posed by North Korea's nuclear program and historical disputes with Japan.

Tensions persist on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's provocative actions in recent months, including the launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine.

Seoul-Tokyo relations also remain badly frayed largely because of Japan's refusal to atone for its past wrongdoings stemming from its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45. One of the key pending issues is a demand by former Korean WWII sex slaves for an apology and compensation from Tokyo.

"We will not succumb to these difficulties. We will resolve them with our power without fail," Park said in a Memorial Day address. She did not give any details.

The comments came five days after she pressed Japan to take "courageous" action to restore the honor of the former sex slaves while they are still alive.

The issue has gained urgency as the number of living victims has shrunk. In 2007, more than 120 South Korean victims were alive, but the number has since dropped to 52, with their average age standing at nearly 90.

She also pressed North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and come forward for dialogue and cooperation so it could move toward peace and co-prosperity.

The two Koreas last held high-level talks in February 2014.

North Korea has repeatedly vowed to develop its economy and nuclear arsenal in tandem, viewing its nuclear programs as a powerful deterrent against what it claims is Washington's hostile policy against it.

South Korea and the U.S. warned that the North's policy is a dead end for the country.

Park also called on the people to join forces to revitalize the economy and lay the groundwork for potential unification with North Korea. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, leaving the two Koreas still technically at war.(Yonhap)