South Korea and Japan have failed to narrow differences on their disputes over Tokyo's wartime forced labor and export restrictions against Seoul. 

Diplomatic authorities of the two nations held director-level talks in Seoul on Thursday afternoon, about three months after the previous such meeting in Tokyo last November.

Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs, sat down for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki for two hours and 40 minutes. 

However, little progress was made on the forced labor issue and export curbs as the two sides reiterated their basic stances.  

A diplomatic source familiar with the talks said that South Korea strongly demanded Tokyo retract the export controls, saying the wartime issues cannot proceed without respecting the South Korean top court's decisions on the victims. 

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release on the director-level talks on Thursday that Tokyo repeated its calls for Seoul to present a solution to the forced labor issue, which is the largest pending issue between the two nations. 

The ministry added that Japan explained its position regarding South Korea's demand on Tokyo's export restrictions.