South Korea's trade minister said Saturday that she demanded Japan "immediately withdraw" trade curbs against Seoul at a meeting aimed at forging a 16-nation free trade deal.

Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee told reporters that she raised the matter at the two-day meeting in Beijing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed 16-nation free trade bloc.

"I called on Japan to immediately withdraw the export curbs," Yoo told reporters.

Yoo also emphasized that the Japanese export curbs are "unjustifiable" and in violation of global trade rules.

Yoo said several member nations of the RCEP have common understanding about her remarks.

Yoo had proposed a bilateral meeting with her Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of the RCEP meeting, but Japan rejected the proposal.

Japan, which tightened exports of key materials to South Korea on July 4 in apparent retaliation over compensation for wartime forced labor, decided to remove Seoul from a list of trusted export destinations on Friday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to take stern measures against Japan, describing the Japanese decision as an "undeniable trade retaliation against our Supreme Court's rulings on Korean victims of forced labor." (Yonhap)