The foreign ministers of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan held phone talks early on Friday over a trade row between Seoul and Tokyo and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s projectile launches, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. 

ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had a phone conversation with her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, to exchange opinions on issues of mutual concern, including Japan's export restriction and Pyongyang's projectile firings, the Seoul ministry said. 

Kang urged Kono to immediately retract Japan's export curbs on three materials to South Korea, demanding that Japan not take actions which can make situations worse, such as Japan's removal of South Korea from its "whitelist" of preferential procedures for export. 

Kono responded by explaining the Japanese government's position, according to the Seoul ministry. 

Earlier this month, Japan tightened regulations on the export of three materials vital in making memory chips and display panels, which are the mainstay of the ROK's export.