South Korea, Japan spar at WTO over trade row

GENEVA: A diplomatic row between Japan and South Korea spilled over into a World Trade Organization meeting on Tuesday, where Seoul's ambassador accused Japan of imposing illegal export controls due to a "damage of trust", threatening to disrupt the global supply chain of electronic goods, a trade official said.

Japan's ambassador said it was not a trade embargo but an operational review necessary for proper implementation of Japan's export control system based on security concerns, and was fully in line with WTO rules, the official said.