Seoul has expressed its disappointment and concerns over Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono's unrelenting criticism against the South Korean top court’s ruling on Tokyo's wartime forced labor. 

In a statement released Thursday, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said such behavior by the Japanese government will not help resolve the situation at hand. 

It stressed that respect for the judiciary is the basis of democracy and reminded that the South Korean government will determine its stance on the issue by taking various aspects into account. 

Seoul has urged Tokyo through various channels to act wisely, considering future-oriented relations between the two countries. 

In the latest in a series of critical comments against the Supreme Court’s decision, Kono said on Wednesday that the ruling fundamentally undermines the legal basis that has served as the foundation of their bilateral relationship since the 1965 normalization treaty. 

Late last month, the court acknowledged the rights of four Koreans who filed a damage suit against Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal for their forced labor during World War Two and ordered the firm to pay each victim 100 million won.