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Mark Lambert, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, speaks during a conference organized by the ROK-US Alliance Foundation and others at a hotel in Washington on Wednesday.

Mark Lambert, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made reference Wednesday to Japan's atrocities during the 20th century but also stressed the need for South Korea and Japan to cooperate in forward-looking ways.

During a conference organized by the ROK-US Alliance Foundation and others at a hotel in Washington that day, Lambert was asked about South Korea-Japan relations and the role of the US.

"My country's two strongest allies in Asia are Japan and the Republic of Korea, and my country is less secure when Japan, Republic of Korea are not cooperating," he said..

"I would argue that Japan and the Republic of Korea are less secure when they're not cooperating, as well," he added.

Lambert also said it was "no secret that for many years, we have been working with Tokyo and Seoul to try to find common ground."

"And let's be frank — history is not going to change. The atrocities of the 20th century are what they are," he continued, referring to Japan's actions during its occupation of Korea.

"I think our challenge as practitioners is to have those [atrocities] in one basket, treat them accordingly, but also try to fill up another basket with things that bring the countries together in the 21st century," he said.

"The young people in Korea are safer and more secure and more likely to be prosperous if their country has a good relationship with Japan. The young people in Japan, the same. The young people in the United States, the same," he said.

In his remarks, Lambert acknowledged Japan's atrocities during World War II as a matter of historical fact but also stressed the importance of South Korea and Japan working together separately from historical issues.

In his explanation about South Korea-Japan relations, Lambert raised the example of South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently canceling a planned visit to Japan.

When US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman traveled to Asia recently, the first report Lambert received from Seoul was that a breakthrough had been achieved and Moon was planning to go to Tokyo for the opening of the Summer Olympics, he said.

The US subsequently became worried when its representatives arrived in Tokyo and it became clear that the South Korea-Japan summit would not be happening, he added.

According to Lambert, he felt relieved to see the South Korea and Japan vice foreign ministers treating each other respectfully and discussing common ground between them during a meeting in Tokyo the following day.

Noting that he saw potential for reconciliation and compromise at that moment, he added that the US should play a role if South Korea and Japan want it to.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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