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Korea also excluded Japan from the white list, and foreign media anticipated a prolonged conflict between Korea and Japan. Even if the United States urges the US to resolve conflicts in the middle, it is unlikely that the two countries will retreat immediately.

Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung reports from Washington.

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The New York Times reported that South Korea's removal of Japan from the list of whitelists was well anticipated because Japan had taken similar steps first.

Trump urged the two countries to sit face to face, but said the measure is new evidence that the two countries will not back off.

It is unclear how much export control will be undertaken since the two countries are not total export embargoes.

The New York Times says the United States has intervened behind the scenes to prevent a heightened diplomatic dispute between South Korea and Japan, but President Trump has been criticized by experts for reluctant to resolve the two countries.

Reuters reports that South Korea's countermeasures, excluding Japan from whitelisting, is deepening the cracks in both diplomacy and trade.

US State Department officials said, "The United States encourages South Korea and Japan to find a space for creative solutions," he said yesterday.

Concerns have also been raised in Washington that the US-Japan conflict will continue for a while while the US is reluctant to step in.