Lotte Mart’s China website back online after missile row

Lotte Mart’s homepage in China reopened on Tuesday after the Chinese government forced the company to shut down its website in early March because of a diplomatic spat over a controversial missile defense system.

Over the past two months, the homepage only showed a message that said it was under construction.

Since March, Lotte’s business in China has faced consumer boycotts and spot government inspections after affiliate Lotte International agreed to hand over a golf course in Korea to host a U.S. missile shield that China says threatens its security.

The Lotte Mart page in China is now up and running, which signals Lotte might be bracing to resume operations there, even though Chinese authorities have yet to lift their grip on the Korean conglomerate.

Lotte Duty Free’s Chinese homepage also appears to be back online.

By Seo Ji-eun