April 20, 2024

• 

South Korea’s Trade Ministry said on July 1 it will deal sternly with a move by Japan to tighten the rules for exports of semiconductor and display materials to Seoul, voicing regrets over the Japanese move.

Park Tae-sung, head of the Office of International Trade and Investment at the ministry, also blamed Japan for violating an accord of the World Trade Organization by tightening curbs on exports to Korea.
 

“The government will sternly deal with the matter in line with international and domestic laws,” Park told reporters.

The Japanese government said earlier in the day that it will strengthen regulations on the export to Korea of high-tech chemicals used in semiconductor and smartphone production, apparently in response to Korea’s Supreme Court ruling on compensation for wartime forced labor. 

Under the new rules, Japanese companies will have to apply for approval for each contract to export specific materials to South Korean clients, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and LG Display.

By Ram Garikipati and newswires (ram@heraldcorp.com)