TOKYO (AFP) ― Japanese auto giant Nissan is aiming to sell 1.5 million electric vehicles around the world by 2016, the company said Monday, as it looks to capitalize on growing demand for green products.Japan’s second-largest automaker behind Toyota said it wants to be the world’s largest player in so-called “zero-emission vehicles”, including a new fuel cell electric vehicle developed with Daimler.The company, which is 43.8 percent owned by French partner Renault, has sold 15,000 Leaf electric

Japan’s exports increased more than expected in September as demand for cars and auto parts rose, a sign the recovery in shipments is withstanding a weakening global economy. Shipments rose 2.4 percent last month from a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said in Tokyo Monday. The median estimate of 26 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 1 percent increase after a 2.8 percent gain in August. The nation posted a trade surplus of 300 billion yen ($3.9 billion). Exports have rebounded as c

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― On a recent Saturday evening, Youngsun Lee, culinary instructor and executive chef of the popular Kimchi Taco Truck, welcomed 12 curious students to “The Korean Plate” cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.Lee started the class by introducing a few basic Korean ingredients, including gochujang (red pepper paste), doenjang (fermented bean paste) and dried anchovies. Along the way, he shared anecdotes about the various ingredients and dishes fro

KABUL (AP) ― Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said if the United States and Pakistan ever went to war, his country would back Islamabad, drawing a sharp rebuke Sunday from Afghan lawmakers who claimed the country’s top officials were adopting hypocritical positions.The scenario is exceedingly unlikely and appears to be less a serious statement of policy than an Afghan overture to Pakistan, just days after Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Islamabad must do more to c

Hanbok designer Lee Young-hee will sail to Dokdo for the second time on Thursday in the hope of holding a fashion show on the rocky islet 87.4 kilometers east from Ulleung Island on the East Sea. It will be in commemoration of Dokdo Day, which falls on Tuesday. Lee is one of the most renowned designers of the Korean traditional costume, having introduced hanbok to the world and clarifying its name from being “Kimono Coree,” a name that an unknowing French journalist gave to hanbok in the early 1

Pianist Son Yeol-eum is extremely busy doing concert tours, regularly writing columns and managing her Facebook and Twitter.But such multi-tasking keeps her motivated to play better concerts and communicate well with her fans, said Son. She did 13 concerts in September and plans to perform eight times in October and six in November.“When I’m on a stage, I try my best to enjoy it. I find it really fun to perform different repertoires at different concerts rather than doing the same things,” Son t

Musical ‘Winter Sonata’ brings back Yoon Suk-ho’s famous first-love saga“Is this Joon-sang?”“Is this Yoo-jin?”The famous lines are back, and so is the famous first-love saga. But this time it is on the stage, not the small screen.Few would argue that KBS’2002 mega hit drama “Winter Sonata” was not one of the first examples of hallyu. Thanks to its enormous popularity, the main actor Bae Yong-joon rose to heartthrob status in East Asia, while its filming location in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, h

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Will Ferrell, who refined his impersonation of President George W. Bush on the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” and later took his presidential act to Broadway, was awarded the nation’s top humor prize Sunday night.The TV star went on to make movies and co-found the popular website FunnyorDie.com in a career that won the 44-year-old the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.It was the Bush impression, though, that might have

S.M. Entertainment singers wrapped up their series of international concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday.The nation’s largest entertainment agency has held concerts at seven major international venues since the first SM Town concert in Seoul in August 2010. The 15,000 seats at Madison Square Garden ― priced between $44.50 and $204.50 per person ― all sold out, the agency said. The massive concert venue is a “dream stage” for many international pop stars. Michael Jackson, Beyon