Anchor: In one of the latest signs of a thaw in South Korea-China ties since the two countries agreed to end their dispute over THAAD, China has partially lifted a travel ban on group tours to South Korea.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more on the move which comes as Seoul and Beijing are set to hold a summit next month.
 
Report: The China National Tourism Administration decided Tuesday to allow travel agencies in Beijing and Shandong to resume selling package tours to South Korea. 

The resumption comes after China had placed an unofficial embargo on group tours to South Korea in mid-March, believed to be in protest of Seoul's decision to install the U.S. THAAD antimissile system.
 
A Chinese travel industry official said the tourism body is expected to steadily allow travel agencies in other regions to sell package tours to South Korea.
 
However, the tourism administration is said to have instructed the travel agencies in Beijing and Shandong to exclude Lotte Hotels and Resorts and Lotte Duty Free Shops from their packages, presumably because the Lotte Group's golf course has now become the site of the THAAD battery. 
 
The ease in the travel ban comes as the two countries agreed late last month to end their conflict over THAAD.
 
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source in Beijing said on Monday that South Korea and China will announce the start of additional free trade agreement(FTA) talks in mid-December when President Moon Jae-in makes a state visit to China.  
 
Negotiations on the service and investment sectors were supposed to be initiated within two years of the implementation of the South Korea-China FTA in December 2015 but failed to start due to resistance from China. The two-year deadline expires on December 20th. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News