Chinese tourists go to South Korea

A Chinese tourist group began a visit to South Korea on Saturday, eight months after package tours were halted because of a diplomatic dispute sparked by the US military's deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the country.

The tourist group of 32 people from Beijing will spend five days in Seoul, according to Sun Lichan, director of the marketing department of Haitao Travel, the tourism company that organized the trip.

Any industry related to Lotte Group will be avoided in the company's new travel schedules, Sun said. The Lotte Duty Free Shop, a former popular shopping spot for Chinese tourists, will be replaced by the Shilla Duty Free Shop.