South Korea has criticized Japanese export restrictions against Seoul at a multilateral export control regime meeting in Europe.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Friday that South Korean officials attended the autumn meeting of the General Working Group of the Wassenaar Arrangement in Austria on Wednesday and Thursday. 

During the meeting, the South Korean delegates highlighted what they said was the unfairness of Tokyo's export curbs. 

In separate bilateral meetings with other participants, the South Korean delegates said Japan's move is a violation of the Wassenaar Arrangement, under which participating states should not impair transactions between private parties with export restrictions.

The Wassenaar Arrangement was formally established in 1996 as a voluntary multilateral regime aimed at curbing the illicit transfer of conventional weapons and sensitive dual-use goods and technologies. 

Both South Korea and Japan are signatories to the accord.