By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL, Aug 15 (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-insaid on Thursday that Japan should look back upon itsimperialist past but Seoul will "gladly join hands" if Tokyochooses dialogue, in a carefully choreographed message amid anescalating history and trade row.
In his Liberation Day address marking Korea's independencefrom Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, Moon refrained from deridingJapan but laid out ambitious goals for inter-Korean relations,including an unprecedented call for unification by 2045.
Moon warned the global free trade order may suffer if acountry "weaponises" a sector where it has an upper edge,referring to curbs Japan has imposed on exports of somehigh-tech materials to South Korea.
Seoul calls the move as retaliation over a feud aboutwartime forced labour, while Tokyo cited unspecified securityreasons.
The dispute, triggered after a South Korean court orderedJapanese firms last year to compensate some of their formerlabourers, has brought their ties to their lowest ebb in morethan half a century.
Japan sees the issue was settled by a 1965 treatynormalising bilateral ties.
But Moon said the two neighbours can overcome the past andmove toward the future if Japan "contemplates a past thatbrought misfortune to its neighbouring countries".
"Better late than never: if Japan chooses the path ofdialogue and cooperation, we will gladly join hands," Moon said.
Moon also painted a brighter outlook for the two Koreas,vowing efforts for a successful joint hosting of the 2032Olympics and an eventual unification by 2045.
Such goals have long been considered distant, but come at aparticularly sensitive time amid the North's ongoing series ofmissile tests, stalled nuclear talks with the United States andvirtually severed inter-Korean communications.
"In spite of a series of worrying actions taken by NorthKorea recently, the momentum for dialogue remains unshaken,"Moon said.
"I pledge to solidify the foundation so that we can ...stand tall in the world as one Korea by achieving peace andunification by 2045, which will mark the 100th anniversary ofliberation."
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Michael Perry)