South Korea holds off plan to drop Japan from 'white list': trade ministry officials

[SEOUL] South Korea on Thursday held off a plan to drop Japan from the so-called "white list" of countries with fast-track export status, two officials at South Korea's trade ministry said.

South Korean ministers were originally scheduled to decide on the plan at a meeting on Thursday, but they agreed to have further discussions on the matter, one of the officials said, without elaborating on the reasons for the delay.

The move comes after Japan granted its first approval for the shipment of a high-tech material to South Korea since Tokyo imposed tighter export curbs in early July.

REUTERS