China, SK cut flights to each other’s country

Foreign ministry denies the existence of an official boycott

Several airline companies in China and South Korea have cut the number of flights to each other’s country due to a sharp drop in passengers, amid a standoff over Seoul’s decision to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD) system.

Spring Airlines, China’s leading budget carrier by revenue, will suspend flights from Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang Province to South Korea’s Jeju Island for a month, starting from Wednesday, Zhang Wu’an, spokesman for the Shanghai- based airline, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The decision was made “in response to changes in the market,” said Zhang, adding that the public outcry in China against the deployment of THAAD has obviously affected their bookings.

Public relations staff from Air China told the Global Times on Wednesday that flights to South Korea have not been cancelled, but that the routes might be changed depending on the demand.

Meanwhile, Seoul- based Korean Air will suspend eight routes to Chinese cities from Thursday to April 23, meaning 79 flights would be affected during the period, accounting for 6.5 percent of the company’s total number of flights to China, Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday. South Korea’s second largest full- service carrier, Asiana Airlines, also cancelled 90 flights to Chinese cities from Wednesday to April 30.

The suspension of flights was caused by plunging demand amid the row over THAAD, according to Yonhap News Agency.

South Korea was the second most favored overseas destination for tourists from the Chinese mainland based on bookings, and Chinese tourists accounted for nearly half of the total number of foreigners visiting South Korea.

South Koreans have retaliated by boycotting popular Chinese products such as Xiaomi smartphones and Tsingtao Beer, South Korean media reported.

Several major cruise lines operating in China, including Italian Costa Cruises, are removing calls to South Korean ports.

Industries affected also include business and culture, such as the boycott of South Korea’s Lotte Group and reported cancellation of non- governmental cultural exchanges, which were previously very popular among Chinese audiences.

South Korean media attributed the changes to the “retaliation for the deployment of THAAD,” while Chinese foreign ministry insisted exchanges and cooperation hinges on proper popular support and appropriate public opinion.

South Korea is better to listen to public opinion and take effective measures to avoid hurting the exchanges rather than making speculations out of thin air, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing on March 3.