Korea said Saturday that it will fight a planned U.S. government probe into alleged dumping of Korean washing machines in its market, voicing strong objection to the investigation triggered by a complaint from Whirlpool Corp.

 On Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced its plan to probe allegations that Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. sold their washing machines to U.S. customers at unfairly low market prices.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement on Saturday it "plans to request the U.S. side to conduct a fair and objective investigation."

After Whirlpool had filed dumping charges against Korean washing machines, the South Korean government raised unfairness of a U.S. government probe into the matter in a meeting with U.S. officials on Jan. 11-12, it said.

The ministry will next week hold a meeting of senior officials from the relevant government agencies to work out countermeasures, the statement said.

The U.S. Commerce Department accused Samsung and LG of selling
washing machines at prices 31.03 percent to 82.41 percent cheaper in the U.S. than  in South Korea.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will also make a preliminary ruling in February on whether the South Korean companies sold washing machines at cheaper prices, the U.S. Commerce Department said.

If the ITC finds a "reasonable indication" that imports of Korean washing machines undermined the U.S. industry, the investigation will continue, it said. (Yonhap News)