SEOUL: South Korea has approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) in connection with measures imposed by China over the deployment of a US missile defense system, Seoul’s trade ministry said Monday. Beijing has forced dozens of South Korean retail stores in the country to shut their doors and banned Chinese tour groups from visiting the South. The trade ministry asked China to “comply with its obligations” and raised the issue of possible violation of WTO rules with the Geneva-based organization, minister Joo Hyung-Hwan told Seoul lawmakers. But the move was not a legal step to seek WTO dispute settlement, a spokeswoman for the ministry said. China is the South’s largest trading partner and a major consumer of South Korean electronic gadgets, cosmetics and cultural products including popular TV dramas.

Source: Manila Times March 20, 2017 10:30 UTC