The nation's top office said on Monday that South Korea will take necessary steps to put Japan back on its trade whitelist and wait and see what measures Japan will take in response.
 
A presidential official issued the position during a press briefing when asked about moves by Japan and Seoul's position regarding the matter.

In 2019, Tokyo imposed export controls on three materials and officially removed South Korea from its whitelist of nations given preferential treatment in trade in apparent retaliation for the Korean Supreme Court's ruling that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to Korean forced labor victims.

In response, South Korea also removed Japan from its whitelist.

After the latest summit between the two nations, the South Korean government began to take steps to reinstate Japan to the whitelist, but Tokyo has not shown any clear corresponding movement.