Peruvian cuisine’s final hurrah with pisco at Hyatt

Even after its two-week menu was highlighted at Terrace restaurant in the Hyatt Hotel ended on Sunday, Peruvian cuisine and culture will get one last hurrah Monday with a special demonstration of the ins and outs of the South American nation’s signature cocktail.For the first time, locals here will be able to indulge in Peru’s national liquor, pisco. Peru International Trade will sign an agreement this week with local retailers, including E-mart and Lotte, to start selling pisco. Maria Rosa Vasq

Aug. 10, 2014

Over 70 pct of European firms utilizing FTA with S. Korea: poll

More than seven out of 10 European companies are taking advantage of the free trade deal between South Korea and the European Union (EU) to promote their business opportunities, a poll showed Sunday.According to the survey on 360 major companies in 18 EU member countries, 73.7 percent of the respondents said they are aware the free trade agreement (FTA) went into effect in July 2011, and are taking advantage of it in their business.In particular, 28.1 percent said they are directly utilizing the

Aug. 10, 2014

Malaysia invites local fashion firms to trade expo

The Malaysian Embassy’s trade promotion arm invite South Korean fashion businesses to take part in this year’s international trade exhibition, INTRADE 2014, in Kuala Lumpur, giving the South Korean fashion sector a chance to make a splash in Southeast Asia.Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, is pumping up demand for Korean fashion and other local cultural products, including cosmetics and accessories, throughout the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia. The embassy’s trade agency MATRADE is inviti

Aug. 10, 2014

China says 18 surrender after Xinjiang violence

BEIJING (AP) -- Eighteen people who took part in violence that killed almost 100 people near China's border with Pakistan last month have handed themselves in to authorities, Chinese state media said Sunday.Authorities say a terrorist gang attacked a police station and government buildings in Shache county near Kashgar on July 28, killing 37 people before police shot dead 59 of the attackers.Xinjiang has experienced rising unrest in recent months blamed on militants from the region's native Musl

Aug. 10, 2014

NASCAR racer Tony Stewart hits, kills driver: reports

NEW YORK, (AFP) -- Former NASCAR racing champion Tony Stewart hit and killed a driver who left his damaged car mid-race at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York, US media reported Sunday.ESPN.com said that Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, first bumped the victim's car and knocked it out of the late Saturday race. On his next time around the track Stewart then struck the driver when the victim left his car to confront the NASCAR champion on the dirt track, O

Aug. 10, 2014

N. Korea, China FMs set to hold talks in Myanmar

NAYPYITAW -- North Korea's new foreign minister plans to hold a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Myanmar on Sunday on the sidelines of Asia's biggest security forum amid Pyongyang's threats of another nuclear test and missile launches, officials said.Ri Su-yong, who became the North's top diplomat in April, is visiting the capital of Myanmar to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), slated for later in the day.Ri and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks after the ARF's plenary

Aug. 10, 2014

Sexual slavery victims had 'emotional meeting' with White House: U.S. lawmaker

The landmark meeting between White House officials and two Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement was meaningful as it provided an importance chance for American officials to hear first-hand about what the victims went through, a U.S. lawmaker said."It was a very important meeting and it was a very emotional meeting," Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency. "A lot of good information was shared and I think it was important that both the State D

Aug. 10, 2014

S. Korea, China continue talks over Asia infrastructure bank: Beijing

The top diplomats of South Korea and China have agreed to continue talks over whether to join a push by China to set up a new regional bank to fund infrastructure projects in Asia, China's foreign ministry said Saturday. The agreement was reached between South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during bilateral talks on Friday on the sidelines of regional security dialogue in the Myanmar capital of Naypyidaw, the Chinese ministry said in a statement. China

Aug. 9, 2014

Korea, Japan to hold talks amid frayed ties

NAYPYIDAW (Yonhap) ― South Korea‘s foreign minister will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart this weekend for the first time this year amid chilly bilateral relations beset by what Seoul sees as Tokyo’s historical revisionism, officials said Friday.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of the annual security forum hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as the ASE

Aug. 8, 2014

Seoul, Beijing FMs slam N. Korea's nuke ambitions, missile launches

NAYPYITAW (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministers of South Korea and China on Friday vowed to work together in easing tension on the Korean Peninsula, saying that North Korea's recent missile launches pose a grave threat to peace and stability in the region, a Seoul official said.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi earlier in the day on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's biggest security forum, slated for Sunday."The two foreign mini

Aug. 8, 2014

U.S. declines comment on investigation of Korean American in China

The United States declined comment Thursday on a news report that a Korean American is under investigation in China, possibly as part of a crackdown on Christian-run nongovernmental organizations near the border with North Korea.The Reuters news agency reported earlier that Peter Han, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been under interrogation by Chinese authorities for the last three weeks and is banned from leaving the country. It quoted a source saying it is unclear what prompted the probe.The r

Aug. 8, 2014

Top diplomats from Seoul, Beijing to hold talks in Myanmar

South Korea's foreign minister plans to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Friday on the sidelines of Asia's biggest security forum in a bid to discuss North Korea's nuclear program and other bilateral issues, government officials said.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to arrive in Naypyitaw on Friday to join a series of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the ASEAN Regional Forum. ARF will be held on Sunday.Yun plans to hold a meeting with C

Aug. 8, 2014

U.S. urges Japan to resolve sex slavery issue

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― The United States urged Japan on Tuesday to resolve the issue of the country’s sexual enslavement of women during World War II as it confirmed a report that White House and State Department officials met recently with two Korean victims of the atrocity.Yonhap News Agency reported Monday that officials of the White House and the State Department held unannounced meetings last week with two elderly South Korean victims of the sexual slavery ― Lee Ock-sun, 87, and Kang Il-chul

Aug. 6, 2014

Korea, U.S. to hold second OPCON meeting this week

South Korea and the United States will hold a second round of talks this week on delaying the planned transfer of the wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, the Pentagon said Monday.In April, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama decided that the timeline for the transition of OPCON, currently slated for 2015, can be reconsidered. They agreed to continue to work to determine the “appropriate timing and conditions for the transi

Aug. 5, 2014

Korea slams Japan's renewed claim to Dokdo

South Korea denounced Japan's repeated claim to Seoul's easternmost islets of Dokdo on Tuesday, calling it an "unjustifiable" move that would not help improve already chilled bilateral relations.Seoul's criticism came as Japan's Cabinet approved Tokyo's defense white paper for 2014 earlier in the day, in which Japan laid claim to the East Sea islets. Japan has asserted its claim to Dokdo in its defense report for the past 10 years.The Dokdo islets, which lie closer to South Korea than Japan in w

Aug. 5, 2014

White House officials meet with Korean victims of Japan's sexual slavery

Officials of the White House and the State Department have met secretly with two elderly Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of women, sources said Tuesday, an unprecedented move that suggests Washington's policy on the issue may change.The two -- Lee Ock-sun, 87, and Kang Il-chul, 86 -- met with White House officials last Tuesday before holding a meeting with State Department officials the following day, the sources said. It was the first time that White House and State Departm

Aug. 5, 2014