South Korea and Japan’s foreign ministers have discussed the South Korean Supreme Court's recent decisions against Japanese companies involved in wartime forced labor.

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said that Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha explained to her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, Seoul’s stance on the court rulings over the phone on Wednesday.

In separate rulings in October and November, the Supreme Court ordered two Japanese firms, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, to pay compensation to Korean victims, rejecting Japanese claims that the plaintiffs' right to recourse was nullified by the 1965 bilateral pact that settled colonial issues.

Kang is said to have told Kono that the Korean government plans to devise response measures to the court decisions after taking various factors into account. 

Kang is also likely to have called on Japan to take on a cautious stance in light of bilateral relations, in the wake of Japanese top officials' strong rhetoric and criticism regarding the matter. 

In response, Kono is thought to have told Kang that his country cannot accept the court rulings, reiterating that Tokyo believes all wartime forced labor issues have been settled with the 1965 deal.

Nevertheless, the two ministers reportedly shared the view on the need to continuously engage in close communication.