South Korea has raised the issue of the United States’ safeguard investigations on South Korean residential washers and solar panels during a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Sunday that at a meeting of WTO’s Committee on Safeguards on September 23 in the United States, the government expressed its position that the U.S. safeguard investigations should be conducted according to WTO regulations.

A ministry official said that the government stressed at the meeting that safeguard investigations must be carried out in a fair and objective manner and safeguard actions should be used at a minimal level.

The Seoul government reportedly claimed that safeguard actions should be applied only when domestic products suffer damage from direct competition from imports, and parts for washers and premium washers, which are not produced by U.S. companies, should not be subject to safeguard measures.

Other WTO members, including the European Union, Australia and Vietnam reportedly shared the same view and expressed their concern over the U.S. safeguards.