South Korea looks to 'minimise issues' in Japan trade row

South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has said her country is trying "find a way forward" in the current trade dispute with Japan.

She told BBC Hardtalk: "We want to minimise the issues, and I think given the Japanese rationale now that the trade control issues are really technical issues on the part of their export industries we are saying 'ok fine, let’s discuss it at that level and work through the technical issues'. We have not had any response from the Japanese on that."

The row stems from export restrictions Tokyo imposed on certain industrial materials that Seoul needs to make semiconductors and display screens.

Last year, South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese firms pay compensation to Koreans over forced wartime labour inflamed long-running tensions.

The decisions drew condemnation from Japan, which argues the dispute was settled in 1965 when diplomatic ties were normalised between the neighbouring countries.

You can see the Hardtalk interview in full on Thursday 22 August 2019 on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel and after on BBC iPlayer (UK only).