Anchor: South Korea has refuted Japan's latest claim that its export controls on both strategic and non-strategic goods are "insufficient," stressing that Seoul is, in fact, enforcing stricter rules compared to Tokyo.
Choi You Sun reports.
Report: South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has refuted Tokyo's claim that Seoul's "catch-all system" for exports of conventional weapons may be "insufficient."
In a press briefing on Wednesday, the ministry emphasized South Korea enforces stricter rules for both strategic and non-strategic goods compared to Japan.
The rebuttal comes after Tokyo cited insufficiencies in Seoul's catch-all system of regulating exports of non-strategic goods suspected of being used for military purposes during their working-level talks last Friday.
Japan claimed it was enforcing export curbs on three key semiconductor and display materials to South Korea and planning to exclude the country from its export whitelist on national security grounds because of its insufficient trade rules.
Japan previously raised suspicions that South Korea might have been negligent in managing some dual-use export goods in violation of international sanctions against North Korea, which Seoul vehemently denies.
According to documents provided by the ministry, Tokyo exempts nations on its whitelist from being subject to the catch-all system, including rules for conventional weapons.
Countries not on the whitelist become subject to the regulations when the exporter knows the goods could be used militarily and when the government informs the exporter that the goods have been designated.
Seoul applies the two requirements for whitelist nations, including cases involving conventional weapons, and imposes an additional requirement on goods suspected of military use by unlisted countries.
Park Tae-sung, the ministry's deputy minister for trade and investment stressed that Tokyo's claims are groundless, adding Seoul has called for a director-general level meeting to demand Tokyo present clear evidence backing its claims.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, a U.S. think tank, South Korea ranked 17th out of 200 nations on the Peddling Peril Index. Japan was ranked 36th.
The index, based on an assessment of each country's strategic trade control system aimed at preventing nuclear and missile commodity trafficking, placed the U.S. on top, followed by Britain, Sweden and Germany.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.