South Korea asks Japan not to impose tougher trade conditions

• South Korea asked Japan to scrap its plan to remove it from a list of countries that face minimum trade restrictions.
• Japan's plan to remove South Korea from the so-called white list was a very grave matter that undermined the economic and security partnership between the two countries, South Korea's industry ministry said.

Samsung Nano City staffs 40,000 employees and is the site where Samsung semiconductor chips are made.

Samsung

South Korea said on Wednesday a Japanese plan to remove South Korea from a Japanese list of countries that face minimum trade restrictions would impose tougher conditions without legitimate grounds and consultation.

Japan's plan to remove South Korea from the so-called white list was a very grave matter that undermined the economic and security partnership between the two countries, South Korea's industry ministry said in a statement.

It asked Japan to scrap its plan. 

Japan threatened last week to drop South Korea from the white list of countries that face minimum trade restrictions under a trade control law. That would require Japanese exporters to seek a licence for items that could be used in some weapons-related applications.

On Japan's white list are 27 countries, from Germany to South Korea, Britain and the United States.