The U.S. and the Republic of Korea announced February 7 that they were in formal discussions about the deployment of the THAAD system, just hours after the North conducted another missile launch, and concluded those talks with an agreement earlier this summer to deploy the system.
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North Korea continued to condemn the United States on Tuesday, calling the country an “empire of evil” that was built over the “corpses of indigenous peoples”.
Milley reiterated the American position that the defense system is meant to destroy possible North Korean missiles and not to track missiles inside China.
The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement dated Friday that the two males were accused of helping the North Korean secret operative from 2014 to 2015, which would violate the South’s National Security Law.
South Korea’s defense ministry, in conjunction with the U.S., plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017.
China has repeatedly voiced concerns about THAAD and its accompanying radar, which would be used to track North Korea developments, but is powerful enough to place parts of China under surveillance, according to Beijing.
Gen. Milley will likely reiterate Washington’s position China abide by the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that ruled China has no legal basis to claim historic rights within the nine-dash line in the South China Sea.
Milley will also visit the PLA’s Academy of Military Science to exchange views with faculty and students.
“THAAD should not be deployed at all, not just in Seongju, but anywhere in South Korea”, said Yoo Ji-Won, a 63-year-old farmer.
Thae’s reported defection follows a string of recent such flights by North Koreans, including twelve waitresses at a North Korean restaurant in China who defected to South Korea earlier this year.
About 900 South Koreans shaved their heads on Monday to protest against a government decision to place a missile defense system created to counter North Korean missile threats, in the southeastern county of Seongju.
“If there is another way to protect our country and people, then an alternative must be presented”, Park said in her speech.
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While Wang met his Japanese and North Korean counterparts at the venue of the ministerial meeting, he summoned his South Korean counterpart to the hotel he and Chinese diplomatic delegates were staying, like Cambodia and few other countries.
