South Korea confirms THAAD deployment

World
Europe

‍South Korea on Thursday reaffirmed its decision to deploy a US missile defense system on its soil despite strong opposition from neighboring countries.

Seoul's foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck told a press briefing that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment in South Korea was a sovereign, self-defensive act to protect people's safety and the country's security from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats.

A THAAD interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. /CFP Photo‍

His comments came one day after seven lawmakers of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party arrived in Beijing to talk with senior Chinese officials about the THAAD installation.

The main opposition party opposes the US anti-missile system's deployment. Major presidential contenders in the party pledged to review the THAAD deployment decision, calling for the current government to stop the deployment process and leave it to the next government.

Following President Park Geun-hye's impeachment on December 9, an early presidential election is widely expected to be held as early as April. If the constitutional court upholds the impeachment motion, an election must be held within 60 days.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks with a delegation of the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea in Beijing, China on Jan.4, 2017. /CFP Photo

The party's floor spokesman told a press briefing that Minjoo Party lawmakers are making diplomatic efforts that the government and the ruling Saenuri Party had failed to do.‍

The Saenuri Party and the new conservative party, composed of defectors from the ruling party, denounced visits by Minjoo Party lawmakers to China, describing it as disgraceful and humiliating.

(Source: Xinhua)

952km