U.S. worked hard until last minute to mediate Seoul-Tokyo trade dispute: Official
- 5 years ago
The much-anticipated meeting... between the top diplomats from Seoul, Washington and Tokyo took place on Friday in Thailand,... on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
There,... the U.S. reportedly tried to swing a deal... to diffuse heightening trade tensions between South Korea and Japan.
Lee Ji-won files this report from Bangkok.
The U.S. was reportedly working until the last minute to mediate between Seoul and Tokyo... over Japan's decision to take South Korea off its whitelist of favored trading partners.
This is according to a senior South Korean official,... who spoke on the overall results of Minsiter Kang Kyung-wha's multilateral and bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum to reporters on Friday.
The official said, until the night before Japan's decision,... U.S. officials were closely communicating with South Korean and Japanese officials, to relay each other's stances and find a solution.
Seoul's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha had previously said... the U.S. expressed concerns over the dispute at a trilateral meeting with Japan.
There,... Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had apparently urged the two sides to talk in order to solve the issue,... while offering to play a contributing role if need be.
While confusion emerged as Japanese officials denied that Pompeo expressed such concerns,... the South Korean official said it would have been out of the ordinary... for the U.S. not to have done so in a situation like this.
When asked what Minister Taro Kono said in reference to Japan's rejection of a U.S. proposal for a standstill agreement between Seoul and Tokyo,... Kono reportedly said that it's not up to the foreign ministry to decide, but rather the trade ministry.
With the heightened tension, South Korea's senior diplomat said that the issue of trade restrictions and the forced labor ruling has become harder to solve.
The official also added... that there is a need for a cool-down period to tamp down current tensions,... and to approach the issue more strategically.
Asked if Minister Kang mentioned Seoul's mulling of a termination to its military information-sharing pact with Tokyo at the end of this month,... the official said that Minister Kang told them that Seoul has no choice but to put every option on the table.
"The official then said,... in the 3-week grace period before Japan's new trade restrictions kick into effect,... the South Korean government will closely watch Japan's moves while getting ready for the resumption of talks in the future.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Bangkok."
There,... the U.S. reportedly tried to swing a deal... to diffuse heightening trade tensions between South Korea and Japan.
Lee Ji-won files this report from Bangkok.
The U.S. was reportedly working until the last minute to mediate between Seoul and Tokyo... over Japan's decision to take South Korea off its whitelist of favored trading partners.
This is according to a senior South Korean official,... who spoke on the overall results of Minsiter Kang Kyung-wha's multilateral and bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum to reporters on Friday.
The official said, until the night before Japan's decision,... U.S. officials were closely communicating with South Korean and Japanese officials, to relay each other's stances and find a solution.
Seoul's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha had previously said... the U.S. expressed concerns over the dispute at a trilateral meeting with Japan.
There,... Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had apparently urged the two sides to talk in order to solve the issue,... while offering to play a contributing role if need be.
While confusion emerged as Japanese officials denied that Pompeo expressed such concerns,... the South Korean official said it would have been out of the ordinary... for the U.S. not to have done so in a situation like this.
When asked what Minister Taro Kono said in reference to Japan's rejection of a U.S. proposal for a standstill agreement between Seoul and Tokyo,... Kono reportedly said that it's not up to the foreign ministry to decide, but rather the trade ministry.
With the heightened tension, South Korea's senior diplomat said that the issue of trade restrictions and the forced labor ruling has become harder to solve.
The official also added... that there is a need for a cool-down period to tamp down current tensions,... and to approach the issue more strategically.
Asked if Minister Kang mentioned Seoul's mulling of a termination to its military information-sharing pact with Tokyo at the end of this month,... the official said that Minister Kang told them that Seoul has no choice but to put every option on the table.
"The official then said,... in the 3-week grace period before Japan's new trade restrictions kick into effect,... the South Korean government will closely watch Japan's moves while getting ready for the resumption of talks in the future.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Bangkok."