Chung Hae-kwan (center), the chief South Korean delegate to the talks, speaks during a press briefing in Genova, Switzerland. (Photo: Yonhap)

The first round of talks ended on Friday in Geneva after Seoul filed a complaint with the WTO over Tokyo's export curbs last month. Chung Hae-kwan, South Korea's chief delegate to the bilateral talks, said Friday the two sides agreed that more consultations are necessary and decided to schedule a second round of talks through diplomatic channels.

The talks are part of a dispute settlement process stipulated in WTO rules. If the talks fail to resolve differences, South Korea would likely ask the WTO to set up a dispute settlement panel, which would function as a lower court.