Fifty years ago, when Japan and South Korea signed a treaty to normalize diplomatic ties on June 22, 1965, their leaders toasted the signing in Tokyo as police in Seoul tear-gassed thousands of protesters and politicians who were opposing the move, according to archived reports by The Japan Times.
The treaty is "an example set for the whole world that whatever may be the relations existing between the neighboring nations, they can be adjusted in a friendly manner through spirit of mutual understanding," said Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, calling the treaty "historic," it said.
"Our two countries have trod a thorny path up to the present. A great deal of effort and patience were required to reach this day which promises to erase the nearly half century of unfortunate relations and which has ushered in a new era of mutual cooperation," said South Korean Foreign Minister Dong Won-lee, who signed the treaty on behalf of President Park Chung-hee, the father of Park Geun-hye, the country's current leader.