South Korea to reopen WTO complaint against Japan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea on Tuesday said it will reopen its complaint against Japan at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Tokyo’s curbs on exports to Seoul, local media reported.

An official at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, however, said Seoul was still ready “for more talks to resolve the months-long dispute”, according to Yonhap news agency.

"Japan has not been showing willingness to settle the dispute, and no progress has been made," said Na Seung-sik, the South Korean official.

In September last year, South Korea had petitioned WTO over Japan’s curbs on vital industrial equipment critical to Seoul’s tech products, including display panels and semiconductors.

Tokyo had imposed curbs following a court ruling in Seoul that demand several Japanese companies to pay compensation to wartime forced labor victims.

The latest announcement by South Korea comes after deadline to resolve the issue ended on May 31 “without satisfactory” response by Tokyo, the news agency said.