Lotte denies reports on resumption of Shenyang project

A spokesperson for South Korea-based Lotte Group on Thursday denied media reports that its construction project in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province, could be resumed in November.

"Based on what I know, the project has not restarted," said the spokesperson.

Earlier on Thursday, South Korea-based newspaper the Korea Herald cited corporate sources as saying that Lotte's project in Shenyang - called Lotte Town - may be resumed in November after a year of suspension, adding that this might be a sign of a revival of bilateral relations in the wake of the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system in South Korea.

The report also said that Noh Young-min, the new South Korean Ambassador to China, is likely to make a visit to the construction site next week and meet with top-level officials from the regional government.

Lotte has invested about 3 trillion won ($2.69 billion) into the project, which includes a shopping mall, hotel, theater, apartments and Lotte World, the company's first amusement park in China, news website ifeng.com reported.

In November 2016, the project was suspended by local regulators due to fire hazard concerns.

Lotte's project in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, received approval from authorities on October 31 to start its second phase of construction, Reuters reported on Monday.