A U.S. lawmaker has proposed a House of Representatives resolution commemorating the upcoming 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's colonial rule and hoping for the strong alliance between the two countries to continue.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) put forth the resolution (H. RES. 407) on Friday, saying the U.S. and South Korea are "historic allies."

"The thousands of patriots, including innocent civilians, who died, were imprisoned or otherwise dedicated their lives to achieving liberation serve as a testament of the Republic of Korea's enduring strength," she said in the resolution.

"The House of Representatives commemorates the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Republic of Korea and recognizes the Republic of Korea's strategic, political and economic importance to the United States," the resolution said.

Korea was freed from Japan's 35-year colonial rule at the end of World War II on Aug. 15, 1945, before being divided into the U.S.-backed South and the Soviet-backed North. The two Koreas fought a three-year war that ended in a 1953 truce, not a peace treaty, which means the divided peninsula is still technically at war. (Yonhap)