The talks that many of us have been keeping our eyes on is happening today.... between the top diplomats of South Korea and Japan in Beijing... just three weeks after they clashed at the ASEAN Regional Forum.
However, we're hearing that today's meeting is not going to be an easy one either.
Lee Ji-won has starts us off.
South Korea's Foreign affairs minister Kang Kyung-wha will be sitting down with her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss various pending issues including Japan's unfair trade restrictions.
The meeting comes on the sidelines of the 9th Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo foreign affairs ministers' talks that are slated to take place until Thursday.
Kang is expected to urge Tokyo to come to the negotiating table to resolve the ongoing trade tensions,... while raising Seoul's opposition to Japan's export controls on South Korea.
However, at the director-generals' meeting held between the two sides just the day before, neither side backed down, hinting that Wednesday's foreign ministers' meeting is not expected to find a breakthrough.
It's reported that Japan has already made it clear that it will not resume talks related to its export restrictions.
Japan, in July and early August, imposed trade restrictions on Seoul, citing what it said were "security reasons."
And as a result, Seoul has been reviewing whether to continue its General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan.
By this Saturday, August 24th,... the South Korean government will have to decide whether or not to terminate the pact.
GSOMIA is automatically renewed every year unless either party notifies the other that it's quitting, in which case,... it would expire in November.
Meanwhile, the trilateral sitdown between Ministers Kang, Wang Yi and Kono was held Wednesday morning.
The details of the talks are not out yet, but it's expected that the three ministers reiterated the importance of their cooperation and discussed ways to boost it.
Regional and global issues are also expected to have been discussed,... including North Korea's denuclearization and their recent firing of missiles.
Now, with Wang Yi having expressed concerns over the ongoing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo at his meeting with Kang on Tuesday it remains to be seen whether the issue was brought up at their trilateral sitdown.
He is reported to have emphasized that the two sides should resolve the issue through dialogue.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.