Foreign ministers of ROK, Japan hold phone talks over trade row, DPRK projectile firings

SEOUL - Foreign ministers of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan held phone talks early on Friday over a trade row between Seoul and Tokyo and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s projectile launches, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

ROK's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had a phone conversation with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono to exchange opinion about issues of mutual concern, including Japan's export restriction and Pyongyang's projectile firings, the Seoul ministry said.

Kang urged Kono to immediately retract Japan's export curbs on three materials to ROK, demanding Japan should not take actions, which can make situations worse, such as Japan's removal of ROK from its "whitelist" of preferential procedures for export.

Regarding it, Kono explained the Japanese government's position, according to the Seoul ministry.

Japan tightened regulations earlier this month on its export to ROK of three materials vital to make memory chips and display panels, which are the mainstay of the ROK's export.