Japan's trade curbs on S. Korea to be dealt with by WTO General Council on Wednesday

All eyes will be on the Swiss city of Geneva again today,... namely on the WTO General Council meeting,... when South Korea and Japan go toe-to-toe over Tokyo's harsh tech-related trade curbs on Seoul.The issue was supposed to be discussed on Tuesday,... but the meeting ran long... due to discussions over other agenda items.Kim Hyo-sun reports.Discussions at the WTO General Council on Japan's trade restrictions on South Korea have been pushed to Wednesday due to time constraints.It was listed as the 11th agenda among the 17 items set for Tuesday's meeting.But the meeting went longer than expected,... with the council agreeing to meet again Wednesday to discuss the remaining agenda items.While the meeting lasted nearly six hours, excluding the recess,... the member-states only managed to discuss up to item number eight.During the annual meeting of the international trade watchdog's top decision-making body aside from the Ministerial Conferences,... many developing countries raised their voices on the effectiveness of WTO's aid programs.Seoul's Deputy Trade Minister Kim Seung-ho, who is leading Seoul's delegation, was not fazed by the delay."I will stand there with the same attitude to explain our stance."While Kim was expected to confront Shingo Yamagami, Director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Economic Affairs Bureau during the meeting,... Yamagami only showed up as the meeting was wrapping up.The Japanese Ambassador to Geneva, Junichi Ihara was present for most of the meeting."We will listen to South Korea's opinions as it requested the issue to be dealt with as an agenda item, and then explain our stance courteously and clearly."Yamagami also explained Tokyo's measures do not go against the WTO's spirit of free trade.With Seoul and Tokyo certain to clash over Japan's trade restrictions,... it's left to be seen whose side the international community will take in the increasingly bitter fight.Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.