S. Korea, Japan to hold working-level diplomatic talks in Tokyo

SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) --- South Korea and Japan were set to hold working-level diplomatic talks in Tokyo on Friday to discuss the possibility of a meeting between their top diplomats during the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week and other issues. Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, will meet his new Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, for the first time since the latter was appointed earlier this month. Their talks come after Seoul formally removed Tokyo from a list of favored trade partners Wednesday and filed a complaint against Tokyo at the World Trade Organization on Sept. 11 in response to Japan's new export restrictions. Seoul views Tokyo's export curbs as political retaliation for last year's South Korean Supreme Court rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The planned working-level talks apparently reflect the will of the countries' diplomatic authorities to continue communication to prevent further escalation of tensions in their bilateral ties. At their talks, Kim and Takizaki are expected to sound each other out about the possible talks between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her new Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, during the U.N. General Assembly. Should the ministerial talks take pace, it would mark their first meeting since Tokyo's top diplomat was appointed in a recent Cabinet reshuffle. Even if they meet, Kang and Motegi are unlikely to iron out any serious deal on key issues of mutual concerns given that their first meeting is expected to be a session to get to know each other and exchange their views on those issues in broad generalities. After their talks, Kim and Takizaki plan to have lunch together. Seoul and Tokyo have planned to hold such director-general-level talks once a month. sshluck@yna.co.kr (END)