Passenger traffic on car ferries connecting South Korea and China has recovered to 85 percent of the level prior to the bilateral conflict over Seoul's deployment of the U.S. THAAD antimissile system.

According to the Incheon Port Authority on Monday, over 719-thousand passengers used the ten regular car ferry routes connecting Korea and China from January to November this year, up 43-point-six percent from last year's 500-thousand.

Passenger numbers stood at 920-thousand in 2016 before the THAAD feud surfaced for a monthly average of about 76-thousand passengers.

The monthly increase in car ferry users has been particularly steep at 50 to 60 percent since the second half of the year.

Passenger traffic is expected to fully recover to the pre-THAAD conflict level by next year.

Industry experts forecast the upward trend to continue as previously banned Chinese group travels to South Korea are increasingly resuming.

The domestic car ferry sector is also working to attract more passengers by showcasing a newly built ferry and developing various tour products that incorporate tourism within China.