South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered stern measures against U.S. protectionist moves in bilateral trade. The president said at a meeting of senior aides on Monday that he will take a two-track approach to trade by separating it from security issues.  

MOON JAE-IN SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT "I ask the government to act firmly and sternly to unreasonable protectionist measures, such as lodging complaints to the World Trade Organisation and checking for violations of the U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement."

Moon stressed the importance of diversification of South Korea's trade partners during a meeting with senior aides. Moon said U.S. restrictions on South Korean exports, including steel, electronics, solar cells and washing machines, could disrupt the country's export growth. South Korean exports expanded 15.8 percent in 2017. That was the year's fastest growth among the world's top 10 exporting countries.