Polish and German former politicians have visited Seoul to tell how “ vanquishing prejudices ” moved their countries from conflict to friendship , and ask whether Korea and Japan can learn from their experience . Both Polish - German and Korean - Japanese relations have been marred by long histories of conflict , culminating in the Second World War . While the two European nations are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their Treaty of Good Neighborhood and Friendly Cooperation this year , Korea - Japan ties remain frayed by Japan ’ s territorial claims over the Dokdo Islets as well as its history textbooks downplaying its brutal colonial rule of Korea . But finding acceptable interpretations of past events is vital to reuniting nations after conflict , former European Parliament President Klaus Hansch said following the conference organized by the German and Polish embassies here . “ That is a big issue , and has been one of the sources of German - Polish reconciliation . Both sides had to look at their history and in particular their school books , ” the German representative to the EU said . “ It is important to look not for a totally common interpretation but one giving room for the interpretation of the other side . “ I think that is very important because this is how the younger generation is instructed . School books can do a lot of good and they can do a lot of bad in the understanding between countries . “ If there is a will to do it , from the perspective of reconciliation it is absolutely necessary to have such a common view of what we have , or what Koreans and Japanese have , in school books . ” Former Polish Prime Minister Jan Krzysztof Bielecki was hopeful that Korea and Japan could improve relations as his country and Germany had done . He said the EU member states had become “ good neighbors ” in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 , which had previously controlled Poland and divided Germany . “ Just two decades after German unification the overwhelming majority of Poles no longer fear their western neighbors , ” he said , adding that only 14 percent of Poles still feel anxiety associated with Germany , while 88 percent said they feared Germans in 1990 . “ The ( Korean - Japanese ) relationship is comparable to the relationship in the early 80 s , which gives me optimism for the case regarding reconciliation that it could happen in ten years following the reunification of Korea , ” Bielecki added . Asked about continuing troubles between Korea and his country , Kanehara Nobukatsu , minister of the Japanese embassy here , told attendees : “ The nations are making efforts to establish good relations . I believe if we respect each other and try hard we can overcome these issues . ” He called territorial disputes between Korea and Japan over islands “ a big stress ” to the two countries ’ ties , adding : “ This is a very emotional issue , but I think that we can further our relationship . ” A recent survey found that 60 . 5 percent of Koreans felt that Dokdo was the biggest obstacle to the development of Korean - Japanese relations . The issue of Japanese textbooks most greatly concerned 32 percent of respondents to the survey carried out by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies , which hosted the Dec . 1 forum . The remaining 7 . 5 percent of Koreans surveyed thought that the biggest barrier was Japan ’ s refusal to give a proper apology or compensation for Korean “ comfort women ” forced into sexual slavery during World War II . “ Reconciliation and to struggle for mutual understanding is difficult , ” Hansch told the conference . “ Our history since 1945 has shown it . To overcome historical divisions is even more difficult , but most difficult is to vanquish our prejudices . ” By Kirsty Taylor ( kirstyt @ heraldm . com )