Senior diplomats of South Korea and Japan held working-level talks on Monday in Seoul amid renewed tensions over the Dokdo islets. 

According to Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director General for Asian and Pacific Affairs Lee Sang-ryol sat down for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, at the ministry building to discuss major pending issues between the two nations.

In the meeting, Lee explained the government's position on the issues of Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor and sexual slavery and stressed the need to accelerate bilateral consultation more actively. 

The senior diplomat also conveyed Seoul's concerns about Japan's export curbs against South Korea and Tokyo's planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. 

The foreign ministry said that Funakoshi explained the Japanese government's positions on the matters. The two sides appeared to have failed to narrow differences on longstanding conflicts on historical issues. 

The Japanese official reportedly conveyed Tokyo's position on the Dokdo islets, and Lee made it clear that South Korea cannot accept any claims from Japan to the islets.