South Korean steelmakers' lobby group said Sunday that it has called on a body representing steelmakers of six Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, to relax their import regulations against steel products manufactured by its members.

As of November, there have been 15 cases in which South Korean steel products were regulated and inspected by six members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore.

In the talks with officials of the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council (AISC) held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, Oh Il-hwan, the vice chairman of the Korea Iron & Steel Association (KOSA), expressed concerns over the latest regulatory measures against South Korean steel products and stressed the principle that the trade friction should be settled via dialogue, KOSA said.

He also said that KOSA will actively tackle the regulatory measures by the six countries by reviewing international laws to confirm whether or not they violate them, the local steel association said.

Combined exports of local steelmakers to Southeast Asian countries reached $5.1 billion in the first 10 months of the year, accounting for 23 percent of their total exports.

The stiff competition from the prolonged economic slump prodded the Southeast Asian countries to tighten their regulations on iron and steel imports, KOSA said. (Yonhap News)