Slightly more then one in 10 South Korean companies that trade with Japanese businesses has suffered damage due to the recent diplomatic flare-up between the two countries, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to the survey of 500 businesses trading with Japan, 12 percent said they have suffered setbacks in their commerce with Japanese firms due to deteriorated relations between the two countries, while 88 percent said they have not seen any damage.

If the tension is prolonged, 64.7 percent of the companies polled expect to suffer damages while 35.3 percent anticipate no problems, according to the survey taken by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry between late August and early September.

Bilateral relations have soured since President Lee Myung-bak made an unprecedented visit on Aug. 10 to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, which Japan lays claim to.

According to the findings, tourism companies suffered the most damage, followed by Japanese car dealers, food companies and cell phone and home appliance makers.

Nearly 68 percent of the respondents predicted the current conflict would have a negative impact on the South Korean economy, while 77 percent said bilateral relations will return to their previous level in the mid- to long term.

The two countries’ increased conflict is expected to have little impact on investment in South Korea by Japanese companies, the chamber said.

“Japanese firms have a tendency to favor profits rather than diplomatic affairs in the past,” the KCCI quoted an official at the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency as saying. (Yonhap News)