After half an year! South Korea decides to restart WTO dispute settlement procedures on Japan's trade restrictions

　　China News Service, June 2 (Xinhua)-According to reports from South Korean media, on the issue of Japan's trade restrictions with South Korea, the South Korean government said on the 2nd that it decided to restart the previously suspended World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement process.

　　Luo Chengzhi, head of the Trade and Investment Department of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said at a press conference on the 2nd: "In the past 6 months, the South Korean government has taken the Korean-Japanese dialogue seriously and fully explained to the Japanese side," "Japan The government did not show the will to solve the problem, and no progress has been made in the discussion on resolving the outstanding case." "The South Korean government judges that the current situation is difficult to be regarded as a condition to stop the WTO dispute settlement process."

　　Therefore, the South Korean government decided to resume the WTO dispute settlement procedure on three export restrictions against Japan (with South Korea) suspended on November 22 last year.

　　To this end, the ROK will request the WTO to set up a dispute settlement team in order to take future settlement steps.

　　Luo Chengzhi said that he will objectively prove the illegality and unfairness of Japan's export restriction measures through the WTO dispute settlement procedure to protect the legitimate interests of Korean companies. He also added that he will resolve all uncertainties in the global supply problems of the two countries' enterprises as soon as possible and respond with full efforts.

　　In May, South Korea notified Japan to express its position on the adoption of trade restriction measures against South Korea, but Japan did not give a clear answer to this.

　　Since July 2019, Japan has restricted domestic companies from exporting three types of semiconductor and display key materials to South Korea. In August, it removed South Korea from its export whitelist. As a countermeasure, the South Korean side proposed to terminate the "Military Intelligence Protection Agreement" between South Korea and Japan. On September 11, the South Korean government filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization concerning Japan's restrictions on exports to South Korea. In November, the South Korean side decided to conditionally postpone the termination period of the agreement and sued the WTO for the Japanese side to impose three kinds of export restrictions on South Korea.