South Korea to consider bringing China's THAAD retaliation to WTO

The South Korean government and ruling party agreed Tuesday to "actively" consider filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's escalating economic retaliation against the planned deployment of a U.S. missile defense system to the peninsula.

The move came after the Chinese authorities reportedly directed local travel agencies this week to stop selling tour packages to Chinese nationals wanting to visit South Korea ― the latest in a recent series of apparent retaliatory actions against South Korea.

"With regard to the issue of filing a complaint with the WTO, (the government and the party) agreed to actively weigh the option," Lee Hyun-jae, the policy chief of the Liberty Forward Party, told reporters after the government-party policy consultation meeting.

"(We) also agreed to strengthen government efforts to minimize the damage on local industries," he added. (Yonhap)