S. Korea braces for opposition from Japan against Seoul's WTO director-general candidate

韓 WTO 사무총장부터 G7 확대까지... 정부, 日향해 '몰염치' 경고As we approach one year of trade conflict between South Korea and Japan,... ties between the two neighbors are becoming even frostier.Seoul is preparing for possible opposition from Tokyo against Seoul's WTO director-general candidate.Meanwhile, a high-ranking Seoul official has harshly criticized Tokyo for dismissing the notion of South Korea joining a proposed expanded G7 summit.Yoon Jung-min tells us more.Though there has been no official response from Japan,... South Korean officials are bracing themselves for a possible opposition to Seoul's trade minister Yoo Myung-hee, running for the World Trade Organization director-general post.This comes amid the on-going trade spat between Seoul and Tokyo which has rumbled on for almost a year.Sources say Tokyo could be unwilling to support Yoo,... as she has been leading Seoul's WTO complaint against Japan's export curbs on South Korea.As part of the director-general election process, the WTO General Council has to narrow down the field of candidates until a unanimous consensus around one is reached.But Seoul is reportedly preparing for the possibility of Tokyo creating an unfavorable sentiment against the South Korean candidate.At a media briefing Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that it is crucial to maintain the current G7 framework.This follows as U.S. President Donald Trump earlier proposed increasing the number of G7 members, including South Korea along with Russia, India and Australia.Citing high-ranking government officials, Kyodo News Agency reported that Tokyo has told the White House that South Korea is not "in lockstep with G7 members on China and issues with North Korea."In response, a senior official at Seoul's top office harshly criticized Japan on Monday,... saying such an act is (quote) "shameless."The official reportedly added that the international community would be well aware of Japan's attitude, and so shouldn't have too great of an impact.The same official reportedly criticized Tokyo for harming its neighbor without any sense of regret.Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.