U.S. to 'support efforts' by South Korea, Japan to end worsening dispute

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell speaks to reporters as he arrives at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between South Korea and Japan, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions.

The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its allies, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy.