Politics & Government

S. Korea to Restore Japan’s Status as Trusted Trading Partner

Reuters file photo
A view of South Korean and Japanese national flags on the airplane carrying South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on March 16.

Jiji Press

11:50 JST, April 22, 2023

SEOUL (Jiji Press) — The South Korean government will soon put Japan back on its list of trusted trading partners eligible for preferential treatment in export procedures, it was learned Friday.

According to the government’s website, an announcement on the matter will be made in an official gazette to be published on Monday.

On March 21, following his summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President Yoon Suk Yeol issued instructions to start legal procedures necessary to bring Japan back on the so-called white list.

South Korea removed Japan from the list in September 2019, in retaliation for such a move by Japan the preceding month.

The Japanese and South Korean governments are now accelerating talks to reverse the actions. Their officials are scheduled to meet in Japan on Monday and Tuesday.