(VOVworld) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye Thursday on the sidelines of a global nuclear security summit in Washington.

Korean President Park Geun-Hye (L) and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (R), and US President Barack Obama in a meeting on the sidelines of a global nuclear security summit in Washington. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

This was the first meeting of the two leaders since last November, which they affirmed the importance of resolving the issue of Korean "comfort women", victims of sexual slavery during the wartime.

Abe expressed his readiness to follow the agreement reached on the issue of comfort women despite some remaining disagreements. Park said Seoul will follow the agreement conscientiously.

The two heads of state agreed to increase the number of bilateral meetings to strengthen Japanese - Korean relations, which have been tense in recent years due to disputes over "comfort women", history textbooks, and the islands called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.

Abe and Park also agreed on cooperation to handle Japanese and Korean citizens arrested and held by North Korea and the reunion of families separated by the Korean War.