The government has notified the World Trade Organization(WTO) that it has requested negotiations with the United States on its safeguard measures over washing machines and solar panels.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday that it submitted the notification Wednesday local time on the basis of article 12-point-three of the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards.

The article stipulates that a member nation imposing safeguard measures should provide affected nations with sufficient opportunities for bilateral talks.  

Prior to notifying the WTO, the trade ministry had revealed on Wednesday that it called for a meeting with the U.S. Trade Representative as early as next week to talk about new trade restrictions on imported large residential washing machines. 

During the proposed bilateral talks, the South Korean government plans to request the U.S. to ease or scrap the recent safeguard measures and seek sufficient compensation in line with article eight-point-one of the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards.