South Korean officials said Saturday they asked Japan to lift strict controls on high-tech exports during a meeting held on Friday, rejecting claims by Tokyo that no such demand was made.
The dispute over Japan's recent move to end preferential treatment for materials used to produce semiconductors and display panels comes as diplomatic ties sink to their lowest point in years over a disagreement on wartime labor.
"I said the restrictions are regrettable. In other words, I asked for them to be removed," a South Korean official who took part in the meeting at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo told reporters.