ⓒKBS News

South Korea filed a complaint on Wednesday to the World Trade Organization against Japan's trade curbs. 

In a news briefing, Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said Seoul will launch the procedure to protect its national interest and to prevent a repeat of actions that abuse trade for political purposes. 

Yoo said Tokyo's trade restrictions were politically motivated due to South Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean victims of wartime forced labor. 

The move comes 69 days after Japan implemented tougher restrictions on South Korea-bound shipments of three key materials critical to the production of semiconductors and display panels.