[Photo] China lifts travel ban to Korea for group tours in Shanghai region

The Chinese government has lifted its travel ban to Korea for group tours originating in Shanghai and the surrounding region. A travel ban for all group tours to Korea was enacted in March of last year, when the South Korean government went ahead with the deployment of the US-sponsored THAAD missile system. The Chinese government also lifted the travel ban for Beijing and Shandong last November and for Chongqing and Hubei Province in May.

With tensions relaxing between the two countries, the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea from March to July in 2018 increased 40 percent compared to the same period in 2017. The lift on the travel ban for group tours from Shanghai is expected to further boost the number of Chinese visitors. (Lee Jong-keun, staff photographer)