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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2019 20:22:58 GMT
Dozens of South Korean small-business owners have rallied in South Korea's capital calling for boycotts of Japanese consumer goods to protest Tokyo's move to tighten high-tech exports to its neighbor.
During Monday's protest, Kim Sung-min, president of the Korea Mart Association, urged shop owners to boycott the distribution of Japanese products until Tokyo apologizes over the trade curbs and withdraws them.
South Korea is concerned that the strengthened Japanese export controls of photoresists and other sensitive materials that are mainly used for manufacturing semiconductors and display screens could potentially hurt its export-dependent economy.
Japan's measure has stoked public anger in South Korea, where many believe Japan still hasn't fully acknowledged responsibility for atrocities committed during its colonial occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945.
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Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2019 18:33:45 GMT
Japan and South Korea, two of the US’s closest allies in Asia, are locked in a trade dispute that threatens both crown jewel Samsung Electronics and the global smartphone supply chain. On July 1, citing national security concerns, Japan placed restrictions on exports to South Korea of three chemical materials crucial for the manufacture of semiconductors and screens used in smartphones and televisions. That poses a huge headache for companies like Samsung, SK Hynix and LG Display, which rely heavily on Japan, the most important source for the chemicals globally. Tokyo’s official statement said that some South Korean companies weren’t properly managing the chemicals, while a Japanese report said some supplies may have ended up with North Korea. Seoul disputes that, and says it has enforced trade restrictions on sensitive materials and on North Korea. The dispute could escalate next week, when Japan is due to make an announcement on whether it’s removing South Korea from a list of the country’s preferred trading partners, which would require Japanese firms to obtain additional export verifications on hundreds of products before selling them to Korean companies. The US has said it has no plans to mediate between its two allies, vital to its aims of balancing China and addressing the threat from North Korea, and called for them to “sit down and talk.” But bilateral talks have failed to yield progress and yesterday (July 16) Seoul rejected Tokyo’s proposal of third-party arbitration. Japan’s actions parallel US moves to restrict Huawei’s access to its supply chain, by blocking American companies from doing business with the Chinese smartphone and telecom equipment maker in May, also citing national security concerns. That move was relaxed (paywall) after presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 summit hosted by Japan, and agreed to restart trade talks to address their tensions.
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2019 21:00:13 GMT
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday offered to help ease tensions in the political and economic dispute between Japan and South Korea, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones.
Lingering tension, particularly over the issue of compensation for South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two, took a turn for the worse this month when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea.
The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its two biggest allies in Asia. Trump said South Korean President Moon Jae-in had asked him if he could get involved.
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Post by Admin on Jul 22, 2019 17:57:14 GMT
South Korean police are questioning six people alleged to have illegally entered the Japanese consulate building in the southern city of Busan on Monday.
The group, which included a number of university students, reportedly carried placards criticizing the Japanese government.
Police believe they entered the facility to protest Tokyo's recent tightening of export controls to South Korea.
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Post by Admin on Jul 29, 2019 18:31:50 GMT
Several South Korean cities have canceled exchange programs with Japanese municipalities amid heightened tensions as Tokyo-Seoul ties have fallen to their lowest point in years due to disputes over wartime history and trade policy.
Busan, which is South Korea's second-biggest city, said Sunday it will suspend administrative exchanges with Japan including its officials' visits to the neighboring country until the bilateral relationship improves.
Although the port city has not disclosed all of the programs it will suspend, it cited as an example the signing of an accord with Nagasaki Prefecture on goodwill exchanges. Busan, connected to Fukuoka city in southwestern Japan by high-speed boats, is known for its active exchanges with Japan.
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