Historians from South and North Korea demanded Friday that Japan immediately put a stop to its plan to publish school textbooks that distort history by characterizing Japan's military aggression in Asia before and during World War II as an act of "liberation" that benefited Asian countries.

The North Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported Saturday the two nations, which endured extreme hardships as a colony of Japan from 1910 to 1945, made the demand in a joint statement issued during an academic seminar in Pyongyang to mark the 82nd anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japanese rule in 1919.

The joint statement said all South and North Korean historians condemn the reactionaries of Japan for their shameful plot to distort historical facts and strongly insist that Japan immediately drop its plan to publish the books.

In addition, the statement said, they demand that Japan apologize to the Korean people for even considering such a scheme.

The statement said the attempt to whitewash Japan's past aggressions is tantamount to an utter and unmistakable expression of contempt for Koreans and all of the peoples of Asia, calling the plan "unbearable" and an attempt to revive Japan's former militaristic nature.