@article{ART003183686},
author={Jihye Kam},
title={What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor},
journal={The Journal of Northeast Asia Research},
issn={2005-4432},
year={2025},
volume={40},
number={1},
pages={193-228},
doi={10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006}
TY - JOUR
AU - Jihye Kam
TI - What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor
JO - The Journal of Northeast Asia Research
PY - 2025
VL - 40
IS - 1
PB - The Institute for Northeast Asia Research
SP - 193
EP - 228
SN - 2005-4432
AB - Japanese export controls on hydrogen fluoride, photoresists, and fluorinated polyimides, used in semiconductor and display manufacturing, took effect in August 2019. Prompted by the Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for Japan’s wartime forced laborers, South Korea became the only country removed from Japan’s white list, which exempts exports from additional screening procedures. This decision triggered the Korea-Japan trade dispute, which lasted until June 2023. To investigate the legal causes and economic consequences of the dispute, this study reviews cases of Japan’s wartime forced labor and comfort women, examines trade balance trends, and analyzes stock market indices in both countries before and after the dispute, with particular emphasis on the semiconductor industry. Lawsuits filed by forced laborers, similar to those involving comfort women, have resulted in inconsistent court decisions, primarily due to varying judicial interpretations of ‘state sovereign immunity’ among judges, rather than adherence to Supreme Court rulings. This inconsistency could lead to further trade disputes in the near future. Although the significant decline in imports of hydrogen fluoride, photoresists, and fluorinated polyimides from Japan has had minimal impact on South Korea's semiconductor exports, it has caused short-term volatility in the stock market. The findings suggest that lower courts should issue coherent rulings based on clear Supreme Court guidelines on the interpretation of state sovereign immunity to strengthen Korea-Japan relations.
KW - Korea-Japan Trade Dispute;Court Decision on Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor;Whitelist;Japan’s Export Controls;1965 Korea-Japan Treaty
DO - 10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
ER -
Jihye Kam. (2025). What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor. The Journal of Northeast Asia Research, 40(1), 193-228.
Jihye Kam. 2025, "What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor", The Journal of Northeast Asia Research, vol.40, no.1 pp.193-228. Available from: doi:10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam "What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor" The Journal of Northeast Asia Research 40.1 pp.193-228 (2025) : 193.
Jihye Kam. What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor. 2025; 40(1), 193-228. Available from: doi:10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam. "What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor" The Journal of Northeast Asia Research 40, no.1 (2025) : 193-228.doi: 10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam. What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor. The Journal of Northeast Asia Research, 40(1), 193-228. doi: 10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam. What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor. The Journal of Northeast Asia Research. 2025; 40(1) 193-228. doi: 10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam. What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor. 2025; 40(1), 193-228. Available from: doi:10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
Jihye Kam. "What led to the 2019 Korea-Japan Trade Dispute? Judicial Cases of Japan’s Wartime Forced Labor" The Journal of Northeast Asia Research 40, no.1 (2025) : 193-228.doi: 10.18013/jnar.2025.40.1.006
