/JAPAN: Per Yonhap: "South Korea's......>

SOUTH KOREA: /JAPAN: Per Yonhap: "South Korea's finance minister on Thursday

called for Japan to adopt a "sincere attitude" in talks to resolve a trade row

between the two Asian neighbors. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said South Korea

"calls on the Japanese government to show a stance of progress with a sincere

attitude to lift its export curbs." Seoul and Tokyo have been at loggerheads

since July last year, after Japan abruptly rolled out restrictions on exports of

key industrial materials to South Korea. South Korea reopened a lawsuit at the

World Trade Organization last month, which was suspended last year in a goodwill

gesture, as Japan has remained unresponsive to Seoul's repeated requests to lift

the regulations."