South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha has been in Thailand over the past few days,... attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting and other related meetings.
During her time there, it seems a number of countries back Korea's view that Japan's recent trade restrictions are unfair.
Lee Ji-won files this report from Bangkok.
South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha's main message at the ASEAN meetings was that countries should expand the free flow of trade,... and that Japan's new restrictions on exports to Seoul are an unfair retaliatory measure that harms co-prosperity in the region.
Throughout her 4-day trip to Thailand,... Minister Kang attended 5 official multilateral ministerial meetings, and 8 bilateral sitdowns,... as well as a trilateral one with the U.S. and Japan.
In all of them, her message was consistent.
Her efforts were reflected in the chair statement of the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign ministers' meeting.
In Clause 6 of the the statement, the ministers caution against the rising trade tensions and their impact on growth. It also states that they reaffirmed a strong commitment to upholding an open and rule-based trading system.
This statement twas not included in the chair statement last year,... and thus, is seen as reflecting the concerns of both Singapore and China and members' support for Kang's message.
The foreign minister of Singapore specifically said that Japan must expand its whitelist of trusted trading partners instead of shrinking it,... while the Chinese minister said that these issues must be solved with goodwill and trust.
At another meeting, the host nation Thailand's deputy permanent-secretary of the foreign ministry acknowledged that Japan's measures are retaliatory, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the two sides need to talk to solve the problem, while, according to Minister Kang, offering to help resolve the issue.
However, Japanese officials continue to downplay the ministers' concerns in their briefings, and even deny that such comments were made.
Regardless, officials in and outside of South Korea see this round of diplomacy as a win for Seoul.
"Having gained some tentative, but widespread support from the international community regarding Seoul's position in its trade spat with Japan,... the focus is now on South Korea's next diplomatic chess move in its bid to resolve the issue.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Bangkok.
