Seoul-Beijing Thaw

[Anchor Lead]

Korea and China appear to be on the road to mending relations as the two countries have decided to normalize cooperation and exchanges in all areas as soon as possible. There are still numerous hurdles to overcome, but Korean businesses and Korean nationals in China are welcoming the improving relationship.

[Pkg]

The Korea town in Beijing is again vibrating with energy. Korean businesses are welcoming the change with open arms. They have been subjected to both blatant and subtle disadvantages from the Chinese government for over a year.

[Soundbite] Choi Hae-woong(Pres., Assn. of Small Korean Businesses in Beijing) : "I see the potential for an explosive increase in civilian demands for Korean products and culture, which have been suppressed by the Chinese government."

Incidentally, the news of Hallyu stars Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo's wedding topped the Chinese online search list. Although some people project that the ban on Hallyu contents may have been lifted, still a larger proportion of people say the situation needs to be watched for a while. Separate from Korea's anticipation, the Chinese media reported the related news in a rather low-key manner. The Chinese news outlets emphasized the fact that Korean authorities made sure the THAAD battery is not aimed at China. The Chinese foreign affairs ministry responded in the same way.

[Soundbite] Hua Chunying(Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson) : "We hope that Korea's actions correspond with its words and that Korea takes care of related issues."

Apparently, more time is needed for the civilian sector to see the actual results of the restored ties.

[Soundbite] (Employee of a Chinese Travel Agency) : "We don't have any tour packages to Korea because we haven't received any notice yet."

Another problem is the widespread anti-Korean sentiment among the general population. Comments on online news reports about the normalization of bilateral ties indicate that the wounds are too deep to heal quickly. Beijing says that now the two countries must find practical ways to heal the bad feelings left between the two parties.