Japanese media reports that Tokyo will impose economic sanctions on South Korea this month,... amid a legal dispute concerning cases of forced wartime labor.<br />The report says the Japanese government plans to restrict exports of three products from this week.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports.<br />While the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary trade war truce on the sidelines of last weekend's G20 Summit,... another trade spat might be about to erupt.<br />This time, between South Korea and Japan.<br />According to Japan's Sankei Shimbun on Sunday,... Tokyo plans to impose economic sanctions on South Korea's semiconductor and IT sectors.<br />According to the report,... from Thursday,... the Japanese government will restrict exports of three key items,... including fluorine-containing polyimide, resists and etching gas to South Korea.<br />The products are materials used in the semiconductor production process,... as fluorine-containing polyimide is used to make smartphones and TVs.<br />Japan accounts for about 90-percent of the global supply of the fluorine-containing polyimide and resists markets, and 70-percent of the etching gas market.<br />Watchers say LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics,... two of South Korea's biggest tech giants,... will be impacted by the sanctions.<br />Not only will they slow the production of smartphones and TVs from the two companies,...the measures, if implemented, are likely to negatively impact the South Korean economy.<br />The sanctions come amid a major economic backlash against Seoul's Supreme Court's decision last year,... that major Japanese companies must pay compensation to Korean victims of wartime forced labor.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.<br />
