Skip to main content

South Korea slams Japan as 'white list' removal takes effect

South Korea on Wednesday slammed Japan for effectively downgrading Seoul’s trade status and accused Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of treating the neighbour as an “adversary”.

The comments are the latest in a bitter tit-for-tat row stemming from a long-running diplomatic dispute over Japan’s use of forced labour during its colonial rule over the peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

They came as Tokyo’s removal of the South from its so-called “white list” of trusted trade partners went into effect.

Seoul has already announced it will reciprocate, and last week said it will terminate a military information-sharing pact with Japan, raising concerns in Washington, which has security treaties with both.

“Prime Minister Abe commented twice that Korea cannot be trusted and is treating us like an adversary,” said Kim Hyun-chong, a national security official at the Blue House.

He insisted Seoul’s decision to terminate the intelligence-sharing deal – known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) – would not lead to “fissures” in the alliance between the US and the South.

But last week’s announcement caught many off guard, including Washington, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying the US was disappointed by the move.

Separately, Seoul’s foreign ministry summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest against its removal from the white list.

Both Japan and South Korea are market economies and major US allies faced with an overbearing China and nuclear-armed North Korea.

But their relationship continues to be heavily affected by Japan’s 35-year colonial rule of the Koran peninsula in the early 20th century.

Japan says all reparations claims were settled under a 1965 treaty and associated economic agreement that was supposed to have normalised relations.

Blue House official Kim said Japan had triggered the dispute by imposing restrictions in July on exports crucial to South Korean tech giants such as Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone and memory chip maker.

The move has raised international concern about the effect on global supply chains and possible price hikes for consumers worldwide.

Two of the Japanese chemicals targeted, hydrogen fluoride gas and photoresists, are essential to making memory chips, while the third chemical, fluorinated polyimide, is used for high-spec TV screens and smartphone displays, including hotly-anticipated folding models from Samsung.


Tokyo says its decision was made on national security grounds, but it followed a series of South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to pay for forced labour during World War II.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vulvar Care Tips

Vulva Care Maintaining a healthy vulva and vagina will help prevent infections and discomfort. Unusual changes in vaginal discharge is a sign that there might be an issue. Why is vulvar and vagina care important? Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections (vaginitis) at one time or another. The area around the entrance to the vagina (vulva) can also become irritated. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. Not all vaginal infections are alike and home treatments can worsen some types. If you have any concerns about your vulvar or vaginal health, or notice unusual changes in vaginal discharge, contact your healthcare provider if the problem persists. What is the vulva? The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the labia (labia means "lips"). The labia has two parts. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A secon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oil prices rise amidst uncertainty over Libyan crude exports

Oil prices rose, Tuesday on uncertainty over Libyan oil exports, although plans by producer cartel OPEC to raise output loom. Brent sweet crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at 74.95 dollars per barrel at 01.04 GMT, up 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent from their last close. The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 68.33 dollars a barrel, up 25 cents, or 0.4 per cent. Traders said prices were mostly driven higher by uncertainty around oil exports by Libya, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Eastern Libyan commander, Khalifa Haftar’s forces have handed control of oil ports to a separate National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the East of the country. The official state-owned oil company based in the capital Tripoli, also called NOC, will not be allowed to handle that oil anymore, he said. In comments later confirmed to the media, Ahmed Mismari, spokesman of Haftar’s Libya National Army...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chechnya leader makes Mo Salah honorary citizen

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made Egypt’s talismanic striker Mohamed Salah an honorary citizen of the southern Russian region at a farewell banquet held for the eliminated World Cup side. Rights groups and Western governments allege that authorities in Chechnya repress their political opponents, discriminate against women and persecute sexual minorities, all allegations that Chechnya’s leaders deny. Chechnya has been hosting the Egyptian team’s World Cup training camp and Kremlin-backed Kadyrov has seized on opportunities to appear alongside Salah. Sarah’s goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and Egypt have made him an international superstar. “Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic. “Yes, that’s right! Tonight I signed a decree conferring this high award on the great footballer and member of the Egypt and Liverpool teams,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Salah was presented with a badge and a copy of the decree at the dinner, Kadyrov said. The Egy...
Post a Comment
Read more