Timeline of Japan's trade restrictions against S. Korea
- 5 years ago
한일 무역갈등 타임라인 정리
South Korea-Japan ties nosedived towards a full-blown crisis.
First, Tokyo placed export restrictions, and now its moving to take Seoul out of its 'whitelist'.
Won Jung-hwan walk us back to some of the key moments leading up to this point.
According to inside reports,… some say the Japanese government reportedly decided to impose its export restrictions on chip supplies to Korea back in May. However, the trade war between the two officially started at the beginning of July.
On July 1st, the Japanese government announced... it would slap export restrictions on Korea,... on parts needed to make semiconductors and computer displays,… such as photoresists and etching gas. Japan controls 70 to 90 percent of global production of these three materials,... and it was seen by many experts that it was a punch aimed at a weak spot in the South Korean economy.
After Tokyo announced its decision,... angry South Koreans took countermeasures into their own hands, using social media to call for boycotts of major Japanese brands.
In fact, the boycott became even fiercer following comments made by the chief financial officer of Uniqlo's parent company,...
saying that the impact on Japanese goods wouldn't last long. Since those comments, credit-card purchases at Uniqlo stores in South Korea dropped some 30-percent,... and the boycott expanded to many other products including beer, cosmetics and even tourism.
On July 8th, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on Japan to drop its trade restrictions against Korea, in his first public remarks on the matter,… stressing the need to settle the dispute through negotiations.
Since then, Moon has made such related remarks to Japan 3 times,… warning that the export controls will hit Japan much harder.
Four days after Moon's official statement,… working-level talks between South Korea and Japan over the export curbs on high-tech materials to Seoul took place for the first time.
While the two working-level officials from Seoul's Ministry of Trade and two Japanese counterparts sat down for talks,… they failed to narrow their differences in opinion.
South Korea and Japan also clashed at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva over the legality of Japan removing South Korea from its "whitelist" of trusted countries.
Seoul called the export restrictions 'unfair' and Japan claimed its moves were necessary for national security.
The international community at the WTO General Council was reluctant to get involved in the heated exchange, declaring the matter a bilateral dispute rather than a multilateral trade issue.
Now it has reached the point where South Korea is waiting to hear the decision made by Japan's Cabinet in its meeting on Friday.
Over the past month, the situation has escalated rapidly,... and if Korea is taken off the "whitelist" it will be very difficult for relations to return to normal.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
South Korea-Japan ties nosedived towards a full-blown crisis.
First, Tokyo placed export restrictions, and now its moving to take Seoul out of its 'whitelist'.
Won Jung-hwan walk us back to some of the key moments leading up to this point.
According to inside reports,… some say the Japanese government reportedly decided to impose its export restrictions on chip supplies to Korea back in May. However, the trade war between the two officially started at the beginning of July.
On July 1st, the Japanese government announced... it would slap export restrictions on Korea,... on parts needed to make semiconductors and computer displays,… such as photoresists and etching gas. Japan controls 70 to 90 percent of global production of these three materials,... and it was seen by many experts that it was a punch aimed at a weak spot in the South Korean economy.
After Tokyo announced its decision,... angry South Koreans took countermeasures into their own hands, using social media to call for boycotts of major Japanese brands.
In fact, the boycott became even fiercer following comments made by the chief financial officer of Uniqlo's parent company,...
saying that the impact on Japanese goods wouldn't last long. Since those comments, credit-card purchases at Uniqlo stores in South Korea dropped some 30-percent,... and the boycott expanded to many other products including beer, cosmetics and even tourism.
On July 8th, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on Japan to drop its trade restrictions against Korea, in his first public remarks on the matter,… stressing the need to settle the dispute through negotiations.
Since then, Moon has made such related remarks to Japan 3 times,… warning that the export controls will hit Japan much harder.
Four days after Moon's official statement,… working-level talks between South Korea and Japan over the export curbs on high-tech materials to Seoul took place for the first time.
While the two working-level officials from Seoul's Ministry of Trade and two Japanese counterparts sat down for talks,… they failed to narrow their differences in opinion.
South Korea and Japan also clashed at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva over the legality of Japan removing South Korea from its "whitelist" of trusted countries.
Seoul called the export restrictions 'unfair' and Japan claimed its moves were necessary for national security.
The international community at the WTO General Council was reluctant to get involved in the heated exchange, declaring the matter a bilateral dispute rather than a multilateral trade issue.
Now it has reached the point where South Korea is waiting to hear the decision made by Japan's Cabinet in its meeting on Friday.
Over the past month, the situation has escalated rapidly,... and if Korea is taken off the "whitelist" it will be very difficult for relations to return to normal.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.