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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
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Kang Kyung-wha says Tokyo’s trade measures negatively impact “global trade order”
Amid rising tensions caused by export controls that Japan imposed on South Korea, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on July 11. During the phone call, Kang said that Japan’s action would “cause harm to South Korean companies” and was exerting “a negative influence on the global trade order.” On Thursday, MOFA reported that Kang and Pompeo had spoken on the phone for about 15 minutes, with the call taking place at 11:45 pm on the evening of July 10. Kang is currently visiting Ethiopia. MOFA said that the two officials “exchanged opinions on a range of matters of mutual interest, including the outcome of President Trump’s visit to South Korea and peninsular and regional affairs, including South Korea-Japan relations.” The last time that the two diplomats spoke on the phone was nearly a month ago, on June 16, shortly before Trump’s visit to South Korea. This was the first time that Kang personally mentioned South Korea-Japan relations to Pompeo since Japan announced its export controls on July 1. During the phone call, Kang reportedly emphasized that Japan ought to retract the export controls it recently placed on South Korea and spoke of the need for a diplomatic solution based on dialogue. She also expressed her concern that Japan’s measures are “undesirable in terms of amicable and cooperative relations between South Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US, and Japan.” “The South Korean government remains committed to developing our relationship with Japan in a future-oriented manner, grounded in a two-track approach. Japan’s trade restrictions not only cause harm to South Korean companies but also disrupt global supply chains, which could have a negative influence on the global trade order, not to mention American companies,” Kang was quoted as saying to Pompeo. After Kang communicated the South Korean government’s position, Pompeo “expressed his understanding,” MOFA said. The two top diplomats reportedly agreed to continue working together to strengthen communication through various levels of diplomatic channels between South Korea, the US, and Japan. Kang and Pompeo also reconfirmed the strength of the South Korea-US alliance and said that the hurriedly organized meeting among the leaders of South Korea, North Korea, and the US at Panmunjom on June 30 had “laid the foundation for working-level negotiations between North Korea and US.” MOFA also reported that the two diplomats had agreed to “maintain close communication and cooperation at all levels in the future in order to achieve the shared goals of developing the South Korea-US alliance, bringing about the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and establishing a lasting peace.” Kang and Pompeo will be meeting once again during a foreign ministers’ conference at the ASEAN Regional Forum, which will be taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 1-3. During that meeting, they plan to exchange opinions about matters of mutual interest, such as the North Korean nuclear issue and ways to develop the South Korea-US alliance. By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
