Another 38 are seeking to follow suit, and the other five schools, whose trips are scheduled for March or April, said they will not make any changes due to cancellation penalties, it said.

Tension has been rising between the two countries after Beijing took aggressive steps in an apparent reprisal for Seoul and Washington's decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in the nation.

China has been restricting Korean imports and business operations, and blocking its own people from traveling to South Korea. The hostile measures have especially been focused on South Korea's retail giant Lotte, which provided a site for THAAD in a land swap with the government.

"We cannot directly ask schools not to go to China as it can turn into external affairs issues," a ministry official said, asking not to be named. "All we can say is to change the destinations if there is a concern for safety, since the safety of the students is our priority." (Yonhap)