Could today be the day for a breakthrough?
The first substantive talks between South Korea and Japan since Tokyo slapped export curbs on Seoul will take place in the Japanese capital in the coming hours,... slightly over a week after Japan imposed the restrictions.
It's expected South Korean officials will press their Japanese counterparts to tell them why they took such extreme steps.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
Seoul's trade ministry announced Thursday that it will hold working-level talks with its Japanese counterpart in Tokyo on Friday,... marking their first face-to-face meeting since Japan implemented its strict trade curbs on three tech-related products that South Korean firms need to produce semiconductors and display panels.
Japan claims its new regulations are due to Seoul's non-compliance with UN-led sanctions on North Korea.
South Korea has strongly rejected those claims, insisting there's no evidence of such violations.
It has also pressed Tokyo to stop making groundless allegations against the South.
The focus of Friday's talks will be on Japan's stance.
Several Japanese media outlets have also accused Seoul of breaching sanctions on North Korea.
The Sankei Shimbun newspaper said the management of strategic materials in South Korea has been poor,... claiming it illegally exported Japanese-produced materials to North Korea that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction.
Japan's Fuji TV has also raised suspicions Seoul has been sending materials to Pyeongyang.
The South Korean government says Japan is the only country that has an issue with Seoul's export control system,... adding it's management is among the best in the world.

"All these baseless allegations made by Japanese media will only undermine international confidence in Japan."
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The South Korean government plans to seek answers from Japan about the allegations during Friday's talks.
While Seoul has been pushing for high-level talks,... Japan has repeatedly rebuffed those attempts,... instead agreeing to working-level talks.
It's also expected that the South Korean government will demand clarification on Japan's own export control measures.
The talks raise hope for a possible breakthrough, but with the two sides so far apart on the various issues, it seems unlikely that one low-level meeting will lead to a resolution.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.