South Korea's president says he is positive about discussions in his country and Japan over the issue of wartime labor during World War Two.

President Yoon Suk-yeol said in an interview with major South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo that Japan continues to take a strong stance on bilateral issues, including wartime labor.

But he said it seems the atmosphere in Japan is that the problem can be settled by resolving the issue of South Korea's liquidation of assets seized from Japanese companies.

He also said he intends to solve the issue by hearing the opinions from various parties, and that he is looking at it positively.

Yoon met in November with the vice president of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Aso Taro. Last week, he met with the leader of Japan's junior coalition Komeito, Yamaguchi Natsuo.

In the meetings, he stressed the need for South Korea and Japan to pursue efforts to resolve pending issues.

Plaintiffs in South Korea that have sued Japanese firms over wartime labor, however, are demanding compensation and apologies.

They say they or their relatives were forced to work for Japanese companies during World War Two. The Japanese government says any right to claims was settled completely and finally in 1965, when Japan and South Korea normalized ties.