S. Korea urges Japan to lift export restrictions

South Korea's finance minister on Monday pressed Japan to withdraw its export restrictions on key semiconductor materials as the Japanese move could have a negative impact on the global economy.

Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, said Japan's export restrictions run counter to the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The comments came days after Japan began to tighten regulations on exports to South Korea of high-tech materials essential for the production of semiconductors and display panels -- namely fluorine polyimide, photoresist and etching gas.

Fluorine polyimide is used to make flexible organic light-emitting diode displays, and photoresist is a thin layer used to transfer a circuit pattern to a semiconductor substrate. Etching gas is needed in the semiconductor fabrication process.

Source: Yonhap News