China's commerce ministry said Wednesday that it is "highly concerned" about a recent rejection of some Chinese garlic imports by South Korea, asking Seoul to properly handle the trade dispute.
  

South Korea's state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. returned about 2,200 tons of garlic to Lanling County in Shandong Province, China, from the southern port city of Busan last month because the shipment failed to meet South Korea's quality standards.
  

China's state media reported earlier this week that garlic farmers in Lanling County lodged complaints with the Chinese commerce ministry, calling the move by South Korea "unfair treatment."
  

"We are highly concerned about this situation and asked, for the first time, the South Korean trade counselor in Beijing to intervene in the situation," the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement.
  

The Chinese ministry said it hopes South Korea will "properly" handle the trade dispute, according to the statement.
  

The South Korean trade counselor at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing was not immediately available for comment. (Yonhap)