According to Yonhap news, on the 19th local time, the second round of division and bureau level consultations between South Korea and Japan under the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism ended in Geneva, Switzerland, and the differences between the two sides still failed to narrow.
It is reported that Ding Haiguan, the Cooperation Officer of the new trade order of the Ministry of industry, trade and resources of South Korea and the chief negotiator of South Korea, said after the meeting that South Korea and Japan had centralized consultations for six hours in two times to better understand each other's measures and positions. South Korea believes that the existing positions of the two sides have not changed. At the meeting, the ROK pointed out that Japan's export restrictions were inconsistent with the export control system, arbitrary and discriminatory, and asked Japan to revoke them as soon as possible.
With regard to Japan's statement that export control is not a trade restriction, the ROK believes that Japan's claim has no objective basis and has not been justified in WTO negotiations.
According to the report, Ding Haiguan stressed that although the possibility of holding a third round of consultations is not ruled out, it is unlikely that the two sides will reach an agreement through consultations. When asked about the time when the ROK requested the establishment of a dispute settlement body, he said that it is first necessary to decide whether to apply for the establishment. If the application is finally decided, the appropriate period will be determined according to the principles of promptness and honesty. When asked whether the two sides discussed the military intelligence protection agreement, Ding Haiguan gave a negative answer.
Ding Haiguan also said that he would deeply evaluate the results of the consultation after returning home, and then comprehensively consider whether to apply for the establishment of the WTO dispute settlement body (DSB).
It is reported that Junichiro Kuroda, Minister of Commerce and Trade Organization of the Ministry of economy, industry and trade of Japan and chief representative of Japan, said that Japan and South Korea had a more in-depth understanding of the factual relations and each other through this consultation, but both sides had not changed their existing ideas, and the direction of promotion in the future would be determined by South Korea.
On July 4, the Japanese government implemented export controls on fluoropolyimide, photoresist and high-purity hydrogen fluoride against South Korea. By the end of August, South Korea was no longer included in the "white list" of countries that have obtained trade facilitation. The ROK held that Japan was dissatisfied with the ruling of the ROK court that Japanese enterprises compensated Korean workers forcibly recruited by Japan during the Second World War and retaliated by economic means. The ROK has taken a number of countermeasures, including resorting to the world trade organization. South Korean officials held a dialogue with Japan in early October to try to bridge differences on export control, but failed to achieve results. Such dialogue is part of the WTO trade dispute settlement mechanism process. According to this mechanism, South Korea and Japan should first negotiate to resolve the dispute; If it fails, the ROK can apply for WTO arbitration.