Exclusive: Moon vows THAAD will only be used against DPRK

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system deployed will only be used to defend his country against the increasing threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in an exclusive interview with CCTV ahead of his China trip.

"The deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea is purely out of defense purposes, and it is not our intention to harm China's security interests," stressed Moon, adding that the US has also vowed to keep this commitment. "South Korea understands China's concerns, and we promise the THAAD system will be only used against the missile threats from the DPRK, and will not damage China's security."

Beijing and Seoul agreed on October 31 to move beyond the year-long THAAD dispute, and bring cooperation back to normal as soon as possible.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in in an exclusive interview with CCTV. /CCTV Photo

In the agreement, China’s foreign ministry said that South Korea recognized China’s concerns over THAAD and made it clear the deployment was not aimed at any third country and did not harm China’s strategic security interests. China reiterated its opposition to the deployment of THAAD, but noted South Korea’s position and hoped South Korea could appropriately handle the issue, it added.

"After the agreement reached on October 31, the two countries have a better understanding of each other's stance on the THAAD deployment," Moon said. "I think the issue needs to be resolved, but at the same time, it should not damage the bilateral ties in vast areas."

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test. /Reuters Photo

Upcoming Xi-Moon meeting

Moon, who will visit China from Wednesday to Saturday, said he is looking forward to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

"It will be the third meeting with President Xi, and I hope this meeting will build trust and friendship with the president," Moon said.

Moon added that he and President Xi share some similar governance and philosophical ideas. For example, Moon said President Xi's belief that Party members should serve the people and his focus on building a moderately prosperous society, echo his own governing philosophy.

Strengthening bilateral ties

Moon hailed the growth of bilateral economic ties between the two nations since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1992. He said trade and economic cooperation have made remarkable achievements, and brought development and prosperity to the region.

"Our cooperation used to focus on the manufacturing industry, but now we should expand the scale to have more cooperation in the field of services and also expand mutual investment," Moon said.

Xinhua Photo

China is South Korea's largest export market and largest import country, making the country their top trading partner.

China's ministry of commerce said from January to September this year, the bilateral trade volume reached over 202.2 billion US dollars, 11.4 percent higher than the same period last year.

In 2016, China's foreign direct investment into South Korea reached over 2.04 billion US dollars, accounting for 9.6 percent of the total foreign capital the country received. In the same year, over four billion US dollars of capital flowed from South Korea to China.