President Park Geun-hye vowed Tuesday to push ahead with the publication of "correct" history textbooks as she dismissed concern of possible distortion of the proposed books.

"Correcting history cannot and should not be the subject of political strife," Park said in a televised address to the National Assembly.

Park's latest appeal came amid outcry from the opposition party and some liberal civic groups against the government's move to reintroduce state history textbooks for secondary school students.

The Ministry of Education said earlier this month history textbooks for middle and high school students will be authored by the government starting in the 2017 school year to address what the government calls predominantly left-leaning content in current books.

Some critics claim there could be possible distortion of the proposed history textbooks, a concern rejected by Park.

"I would never tolerate such textbooks," Park said, referring to historical distortion or embellishment.

Park also pledged to strengthen defense capabilities to better deal with North Korea's possible provocations.

Park said South Korea's tight defense posture and principled approach toward North Korea can open the door of dialogue and cooperation, citing North Korea's land mine attack.

The North's provocation brought South and North Korea back to the negotiating table, and they reached a deal in August that defused military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The two sides recently held family reunions of South and North Koreans separated since the 1950-53 Korean War as part of the August deal.

"The government will make every effort ... to ensure that the family reunions can be held on a regular basis," Park said.

The family reunions have long been affected by political situations on the Korean Peninsula.

Park also said the government will expand cooperative projects with North Korea as part of its effort to restore a sense of homogeneity among the two Koreas.

The Korean Peninsula was divided into the capitalistic South and communist North after its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The two sides fought in the Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Park also asked lawmakers to quickly ratify a series of free trade deals South Korea has inked with China, New Zealand and Vietnam, calling them "an important key to maximizing our national interest and creating more jobs."

South Korea and China signed a free trade agreement in June, though the deal has yet to be ratified by the respective legislatures of Seoul and Beijing.

South Korea has clinched a series of free trade agreements with major trading partners, including the U.S., in recent years as part of its efforts to boost growth in the country's export-driven economy. South Korea's exports represent around 50 percent of its gross domestic product.

Park also said the government will set aside 14.8 trillion won

($13 billion) for measures meant to boost public safety while injecting more than 30 percent of next year's budget in the welfare sector.

Park has repeatedly vowed to upgrade safety standards following last year's deadly ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly high school students on a school excursion.

She also asked the rival parties to quickly pass a set of bills meant to reform the labor sector as well as other bills designed to revitalize Asia's fourth-largest economy.

"We must complete labor reform within this year," Park said.

The latest appeal came weeks after labor, management and the government produced a landmark deal to ease labor restrictions. The deal would allow companies, among other things, to dismiss workers who are either negligent or underperforming. (Yonhap)