BALI, Indonesia (Yonhap News) ― South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged Japan Thursday to repent sincerely for trampling on human rights of Korean and other Asian women forced into sexual slavery during World War II, saying addressing the matter of universal human values would raise its international standing.

Lee issued the appeal in a keynote speech at the annual Bali Democracy Forum that opened on the Indonesian resort island, stressing that Northeast Asia should seek solutions to historic issues from the standpoint of universal human values and a correct understanding of history.

“That is why I have particularly urged violators of women’s human rights during wartime to seriously reflect on themselves. The perpetrator country should first make candid admission of its human rights infringement against” such sex slaves, Lee said, though he did not mention Japan by name.

“It behooves a mature democracy to transcend its own national interests in addressing universal human values. Such an act in fact would be conducive to raising its international standing,” he said in the address to representatives from about 70 countries in the region.

Historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were coerced into sexual slavery at front-line Japanese military brothels during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. Moreover, former sex slaves, who are euphemistically called “comfort women,” have long testified to the hardship they were forced to endure.

Lee has increased pressure on Tokyo to resolve the grievances of the victims, saying the issue is becoming increasingly urgent as most victims are elderly, well over 80 years old, and may die before they receive compensation or an apology from Japan.

Lee made a similar appeal during a visit to Oslo in September, urging Japan to learn from Europe and resolve colonial-era grievances. He said at the time that post-war Europe was able to heal its wounds and bond closely together as there was heartfelt repentance from the wrongdoer.

Japan has been ignoring Seoul’s demand for official talks on compensating the aging Korean women, claiming all issues regarding its colonial rule were settled in a 1965 package compensation deal under which the two countries normalized their relations.

In an interview with the leading Indonesian newspaper Kompas published on its front page Thursday, Lee also said he has “concerns about historical perceptions of human rights violations suffered by ‘comfort woman’ victims, and the human rights situation in North Korea.”

During the keynote speech, Lee also expressed grave concerns about Pyongyang’s human rights records. He quoted a North Korean defector as saying, “People in the North have a right to see but no right to speak, have feet but no right to move.”

Lee stressed, however, that no country can resist the wind of freedom, referring to the pro-democracy movement that has toppled autocratic regimes in the Middle East and North Africa, and forced Myanmar to accept sweeping democratic reforms.

“With the entire world being woven into an information network, the wind of freedom that blew from Tunisia last year is reaching across the globe,” he said. “I am convinced that there is no country and no cultural sphere on earth where democracy is impossible. It is only a matter of time for all nations to become democracies.”

On the sidelines, Lee plans to hold a summit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ― one of the foreign leaders Lee has developed a close friendship with ― about ways to further expand economic and other relations between the two countries.

Thanks in part to the friendship, South Korea and Indonesia have been drawn much closer to each other, with two-way trade volume more than doubling to US$30.7 billion last year from just $14.9 billion in 2007. They aim to expand trade to $50 billion in 2015 and $100 billion in 2020.

The two countries launched official negotiations this year to forge a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, which is a free trade deal. Officials said they plan to speed up negotiations to conclude the envisioned deal as early as possible.

“If a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) is concluded at an early date, I believe it will further lift relations between the two countries,” Lee said in the interview with the Indonesian newspaper.

Indonesia is one of the two stops in Lee’s six-day Southeast Asian trip. On Friday, he plans to head to Thailand for summit talks with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expected to focus on bolstering economic cooperation.