Senior US diplomat mediating Japan-ROK dispute

SEOUL - A senior US diplomat met officials in Seoul on Wednesday amid a worsening political and economic dispute between allies Japan and the Republic of Korea, as Seoul vowed to unveil plans soon to cut dependence on Japanese industries.

Washington has been hesitant to publicly wade into the row, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for East Asia policy.

Asked on Wednesday if the United States would play a role in resolving the disagreement, Stilwell did not respond directly, but said he would "engage in all issues that are related to South Korea (the ROK) and the United States," the Yonhap news agency said.

Last week, Stilwell had told Japan's NHK broadcaster that the US would not intervene in the dispute, and instead encouraged dialogue between Washington's two biggest allies in Asia to settle it.

Simmering tension, particularly over a case for compensation of Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War II, took a sharp turn for the worse this month, when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to the ROK.

On Wednesday, ROK Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki repeated his call for Tokyo to end the curbs, while adding that Seoul wanted to make its supply chain more independent.

"The government is working on comprehensive plans to reduce the country's dependence on Japan's materials, components and equipment industries and will announce them soon," he said at the start of a regular meeting of ministers responsible for aspects of the economy.

Trust 'broken'

Japan has denied that the dispute over compensation for forced laborers is behind the export curbs, even though one of its ministers cited broken trust with the ROK over the dispute in announcing the restrictions.

On Wednesday, a Japanese government spokesman urged Seoul to take "appropriate steps" to resolve the labor issue, which was reignited by a ROK court ruling late last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation.

Japanese media claimed the ROK violated international sanctions by exporting banned goods to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Japanese government has said it did not make any accusation about materials going to the DPRK but ROK President Moon Jae-in called the reported accusation a "grave challenge".

On Tuesday, a ROK intelligence official fired back, telling lawmakers that Japan had been "lukewarm and passive" in enforcing UN sanctions.

Relations between the neighbors have long been plagued by memories of Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

Reuters

(China Daily 07/18/2019 page11)