A group of South Korean opposition lawmakers will visit China on Wednesday amid signs of deepening tension between Beijing and Seoul over the deployment of a US anti-missile system in the South. The visit by eight lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea was aimed at “delivering messages” from the party’s presidential hopefuls, including Moon Jae-in, on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, the reported. During their three-day trip, the group is scheduled to meet government officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and scholars in a bid to calm Beijing’s fury and ease China’s ban on Korean stars and movies. The visit came as the Chinese government rejected applications from three South Korean airlines to run chartered flights between the countries for the Lunar New Year festival later this month, Yonhap News Agency reported. The latest move, affecting eight non-scheduled flights by Korean Air Lines, Asiana Airlines and Jeju Air, is widely seen as Beijing’s continued retaliation against Seoul’s decision to deploy the THAAD system. Citing the South Korean ministry of transport, the agency said the rejection was delivered by Chinese aviation authorities last Friday. “Usually, both countries communicate before [any decision] on the chartered flight issue, but this time we didn’t and were also given no specific reason for the disapproval,” a ministry official was quoted as saying. Two Chinese carriers – China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Air – had also withdrawn plans to run chartered flights to South Korea for the busy holiday season, the agency said. The companies cited the “internal Chinese environment” as the reason for the cancellation without further elaboration, the South Korean ministry said. The Chinese government did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday. Sun Xingjie, a Korean affairs specialist at Jilin University, said cancelling flights during a busy season appeared to be aimed at putting pressure on Seoul. “South Korea remains one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists and the Chinese New Year is definitely one of the busiest travel seasons of the year,” he said. “It may be a business decision, but everyone knows what’s really at play behind the Chinese moves.” He warned the once close economic relations between the two nations were likely to suffer further setbacks from the diplomatic tensions. China is South Korea’s biggest trading partner and South Korea became China’s second-largest early last year. Both Sun and Cui Zhiying, a Korean affairs analyst at Shanghai’s Tongji University, said the China trip by the opposition party lawmakers was unlikely to ease heightened tensions between Beijing and Seoul. “South Korea is still reeling from great uncertainties following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye,” Cui said. “Although the opposition party is traditionally more friendly towards Beijing, it is too early to say if bilateral ties can be improved any time soon with the presidential election still months away,” he said. Sun also said the opposition party’s visit to China would be unlikely to reshape Seoul’s stance on THAAD. “I don’t think the strained bilateral relations can be improved before the end of the Korean presidential election because Seoul, which has been caught in the US-China rivalry, is unlikely to show flexibility on THAAD,” he said. Moon, 63, is leading in approval polls of the South Korean presidential candidates.

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SEOUL: South Korea’s government and airline companies will meet on Tuesday to discuss China’s rejection of applications by Korean carriers to add charter flights between the two countries for early this year, a government official said on Monday.
South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said on Sunday he would look into whether China’s decision, which came ahead of a traditional surge in Lunar New Year travel, was «related to» the planned deployment of a U. S. anti-missile system in South Korea.
Yoo told reporters there were «several suspected cases of non-tariff barriers» following last year’s decision to deploy the U. S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system and South Korea needed to determine China’s «real intention».
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a holiday, while China’s Civil Aviation Administration was not immediately reachable.
China worries that the THAAD’s powerful radar can penetrate its territory and has objected to the deployment, which South Korea and the United States say is aimed solely at countering any threat from North Korea.
South Korean carriers Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air, an affiliate of Korean Air Lines, said their applications for charter flights to China were rejected for January and February, with no reason given.
«It is regrettable,» a spokesman at Jeju Air said.
The companies already operate scheduled flights to China but wanted to add charter flights at busy times.
The transport ministry had sent a letter to China’s ministry seeking cooperation on the proposed flights and it would also meet the companies to ponder a next step, a ministry official said.
«We will hold a closed-meeting with major airline affiliates tomorrow morning to discuss measures,” the ministry official said, without elaborating on what type of measures might be considered.
China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines had asked South Korea to hold off on approving their applications to add charter flights in January, citing «a situation in China», said the official who is not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified.
A China Eastern press official denied that it had asked South Korea to hold off approving applications to add charter flights. A China Southern media official was not immediately available.
The Korea Tourism Organization said charter flights typically accounted for 4 to 5 percent of available seats between the two countries.
«Travellers can switch over to regular scheduled flights, so we do not expect huge losses,» said Han Hwa-joon, China team director.
Shares in South Korean cosmetics-related companies and airlines dropped on news reports of the charter denials. Korean cosmetics are a hot-selling item for visitors from China, South Korea’s biggest source of tourists.
Shares in cosmetics maker Amorepacific Corp were down 5 percent on Monday, their biggest daily percentage loss since Oct. 25 and Korean Air Lines Co Ltd shares fell 2.2 percent to their lowest level since July 14.

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In short, turning a blind eye to North Korea produced one of the greatest and most complex security challenges facing the incoming Trump administration. Therefore, it is imperative that the next administration not only ratchet up pressure on the regime, but that it work with Congress, the international community and our allies in the region to counter North Korean aggression.
North Korea’s spike in weapons tests is evidence that its capabilities are increasing and that its murderous leader, Kim Jong Un, grows increasingly belligerent and provocative.
The Institute for Science and International Security has estimated that North Korea may currently have as many as 20 nuclear warheads , while the Rand corporation believes that North Korea has the potential to possess as many as 100 warheads within the next five years. Recently, the regime conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test with an estimated explosive yield of 10 kilotons of TNT in September 2016 , marking its second test of the year and fourth test since 2009.
North Korea’s cyber attacks have also grown in number and sophistication. According to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies: «North Korea is emerging as a significant actor in cyberspace with both its military and clandestine organizations gaining the ability to conduct cyber operations. » In addition to the widely-reported hack of Sony Pictures in 2014, the North Koreans have successfully breached South Korean civilian and military institutions, including reportedly obtaining blueprints for components of the US-made F-15 fighter jet.
North Korea’s malicious activities extend beyond its weapons program and cyber attacks; North Korea is one of the world’s foremost abusers of human rights. According to a 2013 Amnesty international report , the regime was holding as many as 200,000 men, women, and children in political prison camps, where they are subjected to what the UN has described as «unspeakable atrocities».
After years of inaction, Congress addressed Kim Jong Un’s belligerent behavior by passing the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act in February of 2016, marking the first time Congress imposed stand-alone mandatory sanctions on North Korea. President Obama signed the legislation into law just days later, a recognition that his policy of «strategic patience» was unsuccessful and it is time for a new approach to deterring Pyongyang. This legislation was also the first to mandate cyber sanctions against North Korea, however, the Obama administration has not done so to date.
While the Obama administration has implemented portions of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, I encourage the Trump administration to continue with the full implementation and more importantly, the enforcement of the sanctions outlined in the legislation.
In particular, I urge the new administration to utilize the so-called «secondary sanctions,» which target outside entities, or companies, that help Pyongyang engage in illicit behavior. Many of these companies are based in the People’s Republic of China, and the US must not be afraid to anger Beijing by going after them. While the Obama administration has sanctioned and indicted four Chinese nationals and one Chinese-based company for its business tied to North Korea’s weapons program, there are many more that the Treasury Department can — and should — target with financial sanctions.
Due to the lack of real enforcement mechanisms, it is impossible to know whether China — North Korea’s largest trading partner — has faithfully complied with UN Security Council Resolutions relating to North Korea, and the United States has done little to address it. That is why I urge the Trump administration to immediately pursue and implement a full range of economic and criminal unilateral sanctions on any entity that violates North Korea sanctions. Our message must be clear: if you do business with Pyongyang, you will face the full wrath of the US economic sanctions regime.
While sanctions are an important tool to deter Pyongyang, it is also essential that the US reassure our allies, South Korea and Japan, through action that any aggression from North Korea will result in unwavering diplomatic and military support from the United States. The US should continue with show of force exercises near North Korea to demonstrate to the regime that it will pay a heavy price for any aggression to our allies in the region, such as the B-1 nuclear bomber overflights in September.
Additionally, we must expedite the placement of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD , in South Korea to protect our allies and the tens of thousands of American troops in the region. I also urge the Trump administration to explore possibilities for asymmetrical actions to increase pressure on the regime, such as the re-designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terror, stripping Pyongyang of its United Nations seat, or imposing a genuine and enforceable global trade embargo on Pyongyang.
In order to effectively counter the North Korean threat, the US must strengthen its alliances in the region and build a genuine and lasting trilateral alliance between the US, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. The recent trilateral missile defense exercises and the signing of an intelligence information-sharing agreement between Seoul and Tokyo have been historic developments and we must continue to build on this progress.
While US policy toward North Korea has been enhanced with the new sanctions legislation, we still have not peacefully disarmed Pyongyang — and that should be the primary and unwavering US policy goal. Through a policy of strength, the incoming Trump administration should seize the immediate opportunity to communicate with action to Kim Jong Un as well as our allies that the United States remains committed to standing up to tyrants and ensuring peace and stability around the globe.

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