Seoul - South Korea's government will
consider filing a complaint to the World Trade Organisation
against what it described as China's trade retaliation after
Seoul agreed to deploy a US anti-missile system, the ruling
party said on Tuesday.
Beijing is widely believed in South Korea to be retaliating
against some of its companies and cancelling performances by
Korean artists after South Korea's decision to deploy the
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
"We will actively consider whether China's action is in
violation of the South Korea-China free trade deal, while
stepping up efforts to minimise damage on South Korean
industries," Lee Hyun-jae, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's
policy committee, said after meeting senior government
officials.
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China rejected applications by some Korean carriers,
including Jeju Air, to add charter flights between
the two countries in March, Yonhap News Agency said on Tuesday,
in what is seen as China's latest retaliation against South
Korean firms. Their applications for charter flights to China
were rejected for January and February, with no reason given,
Yonhap said.
The Chinese government last week ordered tour operators in
China to stop selling trips to South Korea, days after the Seoul
government secured land for the THAAD system from Lotte Group.
Lee said on Tuesday the government had since agreed to
provide an additional 50 billion won ($43.3 million) worth of
"special loans" to tourism companies that are experiencing
business difficulties.
Chinese authorities have also closed nearly two dozen of
Lotte Group's retail stores following inspections, Lotte said on
Monday.
China objects to the THAAD deployment, saying its territory
is the target of the system's far-reaching radar. South Korea
and the United States have said the missile system is aimed only
at curbing North Korean provocations.