Seoul's Korean Trade Commission on Monday imposed a temporary import ban on plasma display panels made by Japan's Matsushita, escalating the spat between consumer electronics producers in the two countries over intellectual property rights.

The ban means Matsushita, owner of the Panasonic brand, will be banned from importing new panels used in flat-screen TVs and computer monitors into South Korea and will not be able to sell those it has in stock until a formal ruling is made.