SK Denounces China's Position on THAAD
The presidential office of South Korea denounced on Sunday China's unfavorable judgment of SK's decision to set up an advanced anti-missile defense. Instead, South Korea advises China to take on a firmer role against North Korea's aggravation on its country.
Reuters reported that the statement from President Park Geun Hye's office further raised the diplomatic tensions between the two countries, resulting from the harsh criticisms of China on the hosting of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) unit by Seoul with the United States army.
Kim Sung Woo, President Park's Senior Press Secretary said in the statement that the comment made by China's state media was "out of place" in saying that South Korea is raising the conflict on the peninsula by deploying a THAAD unit.
He said, "Rather than taking issue with our purely defensive action, China should raise the issue in a stronger manner with North Korea which is breaking peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and Northeast by conducting four nuclear tests and, just this year, launching more than 10 ballistic missiles."
The United States and South Korea began consultations on deploying a THAAD unit in the South after North Korea launched its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket in order to oppose U.N. Sanctions.
According to South Korea, the deployment of the THAAD unit is mainly intended to counter the increasing missile threats from North Korea and was not done to aim China, but Beijing strongly sees it as a threat to destabilize regional security balance.
In an editorial published on Wednesday in China's People's Daily stated, "It is impossible for South Korea's leader not to know America's strategic plot. (She) is well aware of the real direction of the THAAD anti-missile system. (She) has no hesitation about undermining regional stability and flagrantly damaging the security interests of neighboring powers."
In previous months, North Korea has launched a series of missiles, with the last reported missile launch on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. News reports said that one ballistic missile flew approximately 1,000 km and landed near waters in the Japanese territory.
