S. Korea, Japan discuss fisheries import ban issue

SEJONG, May 24 (Yonhap) -- Trade ministers from South Korea and Japan have discussed the recent move by Tokyo to take the Seoul's fisheries ban issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the government said Sunday.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick met with his Japanese counterpart Yoichi Miyazawa on Saturday to bring up the issue on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Boracay, the Philippines, the ministry said.

"Minister Yoon expressed regret over Japan's action," the ministry said. "He also called on Tokyo to lift restrictions regarding the transportation of live flounder in Japan."

The talks come days after Japan said South Korea's ban on importing fish from eight prefectures near Fukushima violates global trade rules.

The ban has been in effect since September 2011 when it was announced that the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami, dumped large quantities of radioactive materials into the ocean.

The disaster has been regarded as the worst nuclear incident in history along with the Chernobyl nuclear plant catastrophe of 1986.

The trade ministry, meanwhile, said the bilateral meeting marks the first time in 25 months that trade ministers from the two countries have met formally.

Ministerial level talks occurred regularly in the past, before the fraying of relations triggered by Japan's move to deny its colonial and wartime atrocities put an end to most official discussions.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
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