Ahead of the second round of talks between South Korea and Japan at the WTO regarding a dispute over Tokyo's trade restrictions on South Korea,... Seoul's top negotiator says he could consider pushing for the next step of the dispute settlement process.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
South Korea's chief negotiator for discussions with Japan at the World Trade Organization says Seoul is mulling the possibility of pushing for the establishment of a panel at the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body... if the two sides fail to find common ground on Tokyo's export curbs.
"We will push for the next step, which is to establish a related panel if Japan does not engage in consultations in a proactive manner."
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Monday, Chung Hae-kwan, director-general of multilateral and legal affairs at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, added he will exert his utmost efforts to resolve the trade row through dialogue.
He will sit down with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Kuroda.
During the meeting,... Seoul will continue to claim that Tokyo has violated a set of international trade rules including Article 11 of the WTO's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which bans regulations on export volumes unless the products have a serious impact on national security.
Tokyo is expected to stress it has not violated WTO regulations,... adding its measures are the result of Seoul's weak export management.
Last month, the two sides failed to reach an agreement in their first talks in Geneva in connection with Seoul's complaint over Japan's export curbs on three key materials required for the production of semiconductors and other high-tech materials.
It remains to be seen whether the two sides can reach an agreement this time.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.