It is important for South Korea to bolster cooperation with former “militarist invader” Japan in order to counter the “grave” North Korean nuclear threat, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday, as he marked the anniversary of the largest Korean protest movement against Imperial Japan’s colonial occupation.

In a speech marking the March 1 Independence Movement holiday, Yoon referred to Tokyo as a security and economic partner in the region, stressing solidarity with countries that share “universal values” to “expand freedom” across the world.