The travel agency responsible for 19 Chinese tourists who have disappeared in the Republic of Korea (ROK) could lose its license to take groups to the country.

A source with the ROK consulate general in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, said it is waiting for authorities to finish their investigation into the matter, but confirmed that punishment is a possibility.

"We have strict rules for travel agencies, and we hope this case will not affect the visa policy as we want to provide convenience for Chinese tourists,” said a visa official who did not want to be identified.

The 19 tourists are all from Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, tourism authorities said.

The reason for their disappearance is under investigation, Beijing News reported Sunday.

The trip is a multi-level contracting - from a Shaanxi tourism agency to Jilin Global International Travel Agency and then to Liaoning Tianhong International Travel Service.

"We’ve cooperated with Jinlin Global International Travel Agency for many years,” a manager of Tianhong surnamed Jiang said. “There has never been such a problem. We just help them with visas. The whole process is legal. We are assisting with the investigation.”

The group took a cruise ship from Dalian, a coastal city in Liaoning, on Dec 28 and arrived in Incheon Port in the ROK the next day. They were reported missing after spending a night in a hostel.

All 19 tourists are male. They are all visiting the ROK for the first time, and their visas are valid for 15 days.

Contact the writers at wuyong@chinadaily.com.cn and liuce@chinadaily.com.cn