South Korea and Japan on Tuesday began a second round of talks in Geneva in their latest attempt to resolve the trade row over Tokyo's export restrictions.

The meeting between South Korean chief negotiator Chung Hae-kwan and his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Kuroda came amid dimming prospects for any breakthrough.

South Korean representatives arrive at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in Geneva on Nov. 19, 2019, to take part in a second round of bilateral talks with Japan aimed at resolving the ongoing row over Tokyo's export restrictions.

The one-day talks are part of a dispute settlement process under rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Chung has said South Korea could push for the establishment of a panel at the WTO Dispute Settlement Body to look further into the case if the two sides fail to find common ground.

Last month, the two failed to reach an agreement in their first talks in Geneva in connection with Seoul's complaint with the global trade body over Tokyo's export curbs.

In July, Tokyo imposed tighter regulations on exports to Seoul of three materials -- resist, etching gas and fluorinated polyimide -- that are critical for the production of semiconductors and flexible displays. Japan later removed South Korea from its list of trusted trading partners.

Under the new rules, Japanese companies are required to apply for an individual license to export materials to South Korea, a process that can take up to 90 days.

South Korea views the Japanese moves as retaliation against last year's South Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate South Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)

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