문 대통령, "日 무역보복, 승자 없는 게임"
President Moon says the trade dispute between South Korea and Japan benefits no one, and only hurts both sides.
He was speaking at a national economic meeting this morning,... to draw up measures in response to Japan's trade restrictions.
Park Hee-jun has the details. President Moon Jae-in urged Japan to end this dispute that has no winner.
He called on the Japanese government to call off its trade restrictions,... which are hurting the economies and people of both countries.
"I do not understand what Japan gains from its unilateral trade measures. Even if it has benefits, they are only temporary. In the end, this is just a game where there is no winner and all are losers."
President Moon held his third National Economic Advisory Council meeting on Thursday,... where he discussed possible countermeasures against Japan’s trade restrictions with related senior officials and experts,... including his chief of staff for policy Kim Sang-jo and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki.
There, he criticized Japan for its contradictory behavior.
"Japan is a country that has benefited the most from free trade and actively argued for free trade when it needs it for its own good, making the measures very contradictory."
The president stressed that when a country weaponizes its strengths,... it only disrupts the free trade order.
He also said that Tokyo's retaliation against South Korea's Supreme Court ruling on wartime forced labor also violates a fundamental principle of democracy the separation of powers.
He again emphasized the importance of boosting the competitiveness of South Korean companies in regard to parts and materials,... while also diversifying the origins of imports.
Although the dispute still may not cause actual damage, President Moon raised the need for a response plan that focuses on the economic uncertainties caused by the trade restrictions.
On the same day, Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Sang-jo met with executives of the country's top five conglomerates.
He gathered the opinions of Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and Lotte on the unprecedented situation,... as part of government efforts to work together with businesses to overcome the difficulties.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.