South Korea's Moon Jae-in offers to 'join hands' with Japan if Tokyo chooses dialogue

(VOVWORLD) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in struck a conciliatory tone towards Japan on Thursday, offering to “join hands” if Tokyo chooses dialogue as relations between the two countries dip to new lows. 

Seoul and Tokyo — both  democracies and market economies — are mired in long-running disputes over wartime labor issues. The two neighbors have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade war that saw them remove each other from their respective lists of trusted trading partners this month, raising concerns over global supply chains. That came after Tokyo imposed restrictions on exports crucial to tech giants such as Samsung last month, following a series of South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms to pay for wartime labor. But Moon sought to dial down the tension on Thursday, saying Seoul was willing to work with Tokyo to secure “fair trade and cooperation” in the region.

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