South Korea plans to publish a white paper on women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military during World War II, the first such report in more than two decades and a move that may fuel tensions between the North Asian neighbors.

The report, to be published next year, will be a comprehensive compilation and analysis of Japan's wartime sexual slavery crimes and the damage done to the victims, Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality & Family said Sunday.

Next year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries.

"We plan to translate the white paper into various languages such as English, Chinese, and Japanese and distribute it worldwide so that the international community know the truth behind the issue of Japan's military sexual enslavement," Minister Kim Hee-jung said in a statement.

The paper will include new data and study results on so-called "comfort women" since the Seoul government issued a similar report in 1992, it said.