The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-to-three-month-low-235066">United States</a> will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-koreas-acquisition-of-us-f-35-fighter-aimed-at-opening-gate-to-invade-north-north-korea-state-media-234830">South Korea</a> and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions.

The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its allies, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for East Asia policy.

Stilwell told reporters in the South Korean capital, Seoul, that he took the situation seriously but did not elaborate on what steps Washington might be willing to take and said fundamentally it was up to South Korea and Japan to resolve their differences.

"We hope that resolution will happen soon," he said.

"The United States, as a close friend and ally to both, will do what it can do to support their efforts to resolve it."

Last week, Stilwell had told Japan's NHK broadcaster the United States would not intervene in the dispute, and instead encouraged dialogue between Washington's two biggest allies in Asia to settle it.

Simmering tension, particularly over a case for compensation of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two, took a sharp turn for the worse this month, when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea.

Japan has denied that the dispute over compensation for labourers is behind the export curbs, even though one of its ministers cited broken trust with South Korea over the labour dispute in announcing the restrictions.

Instead, Japan has cited "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, with Japanese media reporting some items ended up in North Korea.

South Korea has denied that.

The export curbs could hurt global technology companies, including the operations of South Korean tech giant Samsung in the Texas state capital of Austin, a South Korean government source told reporters.

"It will adversely affect companies ranging from Apple, Amazon, Dell, Sony and billions of consumers all over the world," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues.

If Japan went so far as to drop South Korea from its "white list" of countries with minimum trade restrictions, it would cause a "tremendous amount of problems" and strain ties between Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the source added.

When asked whether the South Korean government was considering retaliatory measures, the source said South Korea preferred to resolve the dispute diplomatically.

South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki repeated his call for Japan to lift the curbs, while adding that South Korea would soon unveil plans to make its supply chain more independent.

"The government is working on comprehensive plans to reduce the country's dependence on Japan's materials, components and equipment industries," he said at the start of a regular meeting of ministers responsible for various aspects of the economy.

Forced Labour Dispute

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, urged South Korea to take "appropriate steps" to resolve the labour issue, which was reignited by a South Korean court ruling late last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation.

"There is no change to our stance that we strongly urge South Korea to take appropriate and timely steps to comply with international law, and accept an arbitrator in accordance with the treaty," he said.

Japan believes the issue of compensation for its wartime actions was settled under a 1965 treaty.

When asked about media reports that Japan was considering seeking damages from South Korea if Japanese corporate assets were sold off to compensate labourers, Nishimura said the government would respond firmly and was considering options to "protect Japanese companies’ legitimate economic activities".

The dispute is also bleeding into North Korea policy, a key agenda item for Stilwell, who arrived on Tuesday.

The Japanese government has distanced itself from Japanese media reports that South Korea violated international sanctions by exporting banned goods to North Korea, saying it had said no such thing.

Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the reported accusation a "grave challenge".

On Tuesday, a South Korean intelligence official fired back, telling lawmakers that Japan had been "lukewarm and passive" in enforcing U.N. sanctions.

Relations between the neighbours have long been plagued by memories of Japan’s 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

The United States will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between South Korea and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions.

The United States will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between South Korea and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions. The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its allies, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for East Asia policy. Stilwell told reporters in the South Korean capital, Seoul, that he took the situation seriously but did not elaborate on what steps Washington might be willing to take and said fundamentally it was up to South Korea and Japan to resolve their differences. "We hope that resolution will happen soon," he said. "The United States, as a close friend and ally to both, will do what it can do to support their efforts to resolve it." Last week, Stilwell had told Japan's NHK broadcaster the United States would not intervene in the dispute, and instead encouraged dialogue between Washington's two biggest allies in Asia to settle it. Simmering tension, particularly over a case for compensation of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two, took a sharp turn for the worse this month, when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea. Japan has denied that the dispute over compensation for labourers is behind the export curbs, even though one of its ministers cited broken trust with South Korea over the labour dispute in announcing the restrictions. Instead, Japan has cited "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, with Japanese media reporting some items ended up in North Korea. South Korea has denied that. The export curbs could hurt global technology companies, including the operations of South Korean tech giant Samsung in the Texas state capital of Austin, a South Korean government source told reporters. "It will adversely affect companies ranging from Apple, Amazon, Dell, Sony and billions of consumers all over the world," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues. If Japan went so far as to drop South Korea from its "white list" of countries with minimum trade restrictions, it would cause a "tremendous amount of problems" and strain ties between Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the source added. When asked whether the South Korean government was considering retaliatory measures, the source said South Korea preferred to resolve the dispute diplomatically. South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki repeated his call for Japan to lift the curbs, while adding that South Korea would soon unveil plans to make its supply chain more independent. "The government is working on comprehensive plans to reduce the country's dependence on Japan's materials, components and equipment industries," he said at the start of a regular meeting of ministers responsible for various aspects of the economy. Forced Labour Dispute Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, urged South Korea to take "appropriate steps" to resolve the labour issue, which was reignited by a South Korean court ruling late last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation. "There is no change to our stance that we strongly urge South Korea to take appropriate and timely steps to comply with international law, and accept an arbitrator in accordance with the treaty," he said. Japan believes the issue of compensation for its wartime actions was settled under a 1965 treaty. When asked about media reports that Japan was considering seeking damages from South Korea if Japanese corporate assets were sold off to compensate labourers, Nishimura said the government would respond firmly and was considering options to "protect Japanese companies’ legitimate economic activities". The dispute is also bleeding into North Korea policy, a key agenda item for Stilwell, who arrived on Tuesday. The Japanese government has distanced itself from Japanese media reports that South Korea violated international sanctions by exporting banned goods to North Korea, saying it had said no such thing. Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the reported accusation a "grave challenge". On Tuesday, a South Korean intelligence official fired back, telling lawmakers that Japan had been "lukewarm and passive" in enforcing U.N. sanctions. Relations between the neighbours have long been plagued by memories of Japan’s 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

US diplomat vows to help South Korea, Japan resolve worsening dispute

South Korea expects more provocative acts by North Korea next month to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean communist party and China&#39;s all-important Communist Party Congress.

In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday, national security adviser Chung Eui-Yong said he expected Pyongyang to act around Oct. 10 and 18, but gave no details.

The South Korean security adviser&#39;s report also noted the risk of that a military conflict could be sparked by &quot;accidental incidents,&quot; Park Wan-Ju, a lawmaker and head spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party, said.

&quot;The president said the United States speaks of military and diplomatic options, but South Korea can&#39;t go through&nbsp;war again,&quot; said Park.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated in recent weeks as North Korea&#39;s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump exchanged bellicose threats and insults over the North&#39;s nuclear and missile development programme.

The North has accused Trump of declaring war after he warned Kim&#39;s regime would not last if he persisted in threatening the United States and its allies, having earlier warned North Korea would be totally destroyed in such an event.

Asked whether China has a plan to respond to an emergency in North Korea, such as securing nuclear and missile sites, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that &quot;military means cannot become an option&quot; and the issue should be resolved through talks.

&quot;The Chinese military will make all necessary preparations to protect the country&#39;s sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability,&quot; he added, without elaborating.

Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a programme aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.

China, North Korea&#39;s main ally, would likely be extremely unhappy if Pyongyang tested a missile or carried out some other act during its Communist Party Congress, held once every five years.

Park said President Moon told the meeting that Washington and Seoul agreed that pressure needed to be applied to North Korea, with the door to talks still open.

In a separate speech on Thursday, Moon said cooperation with the international community to curb the North&#39;s nuclear ambitions was at its highest level ever and called for the strengthening of South Korea-U.S. defences to rein in the North.

Since the North&#39;s latest nuclear test, countries have taken measures against the reclusive state, including the expulsion of North Korean diplomats.

Malaysia said on Thursday all its citizens are banned from travelling to North Korea until further notice due to escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

ROTATIONAL DEPLOYMENT

South Korean lawmakers said Chung had told them that the United States and South Korea had agreed on the rotational deployment of US strategic assets to South Korea, possibly as soon as year-end. What kind of assets would be rotated was not specified.

President Moon added it was inappropriate to discuss the deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea, the lawmakers said.

Moon said he had personally been against the deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in South Korea, but the decision was made as North Korea&#39;s missile capabilities were quickly improving.

China opposes the deployment of THAAD because it believes its powerful radar could be used to look inside its territory. South Korea and the United States have said it is only to curb North Korea&#39;s missile threats.

In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday, national security adviser Chung Eui-Yong said he expected Pyongyang to act around Oct 10 and 18, but gave no details

South Korea expects more provocative acts by North Korea next month to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean communist party and China's all-important Communist Party Congress. In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday, national security adviser Chung Eui-Yong said he expected Pyongyang to act around Oct. 10 and 18, but gave no details. The South Korean security adviser's report also noted the risk of that a military conflict could be sparked by "accidental incidents," Park Wan-Ju, a lawmaker and head spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party, said. "The president said the United States speaks of military and diplomatic options, but South Korea can't go through war again," said Park. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated in recent weeks as North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump exchanged bellicose threats and insults over the North's nuclear and missile development programme. The North has accused Trump of declaring war after he warned Kim's regime would not last if he persisted in threatening the United States and its allies, having earlier warned North Korea would be totally destroyed in such an event. Asked whether China has a plan to respond to an emergency in North Korea, such as securing nuclear and missile sites, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that "military means cannot become an option" and the issue should be resolved through talks. "The Chinese military will make all necessary preparations to protect the country's sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability," he added, without elaborating. Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a programme aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty. China, North Korea's main ally, would likely be extremely unhappy if Pyongyang tested a missile or carried out some other act during its Communist Party Congress, held once every five years. Park said President Moon told the meeting that Washington and Seoul agreed that pressure needed to be applied to North Korea, with the door to talks still open. In a separate speech on Thursday, Moon said cooperation with the international community to curb the North's nuclear ambitions was at its highest level ever and called for the strengthening of South Korea-U.S. defences to rein in the North. Since the North's latest nuclear test, countries have taken measures against the reclusive state, including the expulsion of North Korean diplomats. Malaysia said on Thursday all its citizens are banned from travelling to North Korea until further notice due to escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. ROTATIONAL DEPLOYMENT South Korean lawmakers said Chung had told them that the United States and South Korea had agreed on the rotational deployment of US strategic assets to South Korea, possibly as soon as year-end. What kind of assets would be rotated was not specified. President Moon added it was inappropriate to discuss the deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea, the lawmakers said. Moon said he had personally been against the deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in South Korea, but the decision was made as North Korea's missile capabilities were quickly improving. China opposes the deployment of THAAD because it believes its powerful radar could be used to look inside its territory. South Korea and the United States have said it is only to curb North Korea's missile threats.

South Korea expects more provocative acts by North Korea in mid-October

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US diplomat vows to help South Korea, Japan resolve worsening dispute

South Korea expects more provocative acts by North Korea in mid-October