Ten South Korean lawmakers from the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians Union met with their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo on Thursday and discussed bilateral relations.

In the talks, Rep. Yun Ho-jung of the main opposition Democratic Party said the purpose of the meeting was to restore parliamentary exchanges between the two sides following two years of suspension amid the pandemic.

Yun said that if efforts are made based on the experience and knowledge accumulated by the unions of both countries, a new momentum in bilateral relations may be generated.

He also noted that South Korea and Japan are the sole democracies in East Asia that value freedom and human rights.

Japanese lawmaker Fukushiro Nukaga, who chairs the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians Union, also agreed that the two countries share the values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. He stressed that trilateral cooperation with the U.S. is crucial considering current global affairs such as the war in Ukraine.

Another Japanese member of the union proposed that the two sides explore solutions to long-standing wartime issues and present them to each country's people.

Rep. Yun told reporters after the meeting that despite pending issues, everyone agreed that civilian exchanges must be reinvigorated as the two groups agreed to work toward the resumption of visa-free travel.