South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have discussed the diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo over a statue in Busan symbolizing victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.

According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, the two held talks over the phone on Wednesday at the request of the U.S.

In an apparent bid to broker the recovery of relations between the two key U.S. allies, Kerry is said to have noted an improvement in Seoul-Tokyo ties since their December 2015 settlement on the sex slavery issue.

Positively assessing Seoul’s "restrained" response to Japan's protest over the statue, Kerry promised that the U.S. will play a necessary role for the improvement of Seoul-Tokyo relations and for the enhanced trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

In response, Yun explained Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn's recent warning against making inflammatory remarks over the incident, reaffirming Seoul’s stance that it is important to observe the spirit of the 2015 settlement on the matter.

Yun added that the South Korean government will do what it can to foster a forward-looking relationship with Japan. 

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