China’s ambassador to South Korea warned Tuesday that the planned deployment of a US missile defense system in the country could damage Beijing-Seoul ties, possibly irreparably.
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A former security minister of North Korea has replaced the head of the North Korean military, who is presumed to have recently been executed, according to the North’s state media on Sunday.
Tensions have increased significantly along the Demilitarized Zone since North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a North Korean military official said Monday, adding that while he could not comment on operational details, “the reality is that it is touch-and-go”.
South Korea and the US are expected to hold large-scale military exercises next month.
Beijing has been consistently wary of its placement in South Korea and has reacted especially sensitively toward the AN/TPY-2, a high-resolution rapidly deployable X-Band radar created to detect, track and identify ballistic missile threats at long distances and high altitudes.
Considering that the worldwide community is discussing sanctions for North Korea’s fourth nuclear weapons test and its launch of a long-range missile, the fact is that negotiations are unlikely to occur in the near term.
“It’s a matter to be decided in accordance with security and national interests, and China will have to recognize the point”, Seoul’s presidential office spokesperson Jeong Yeon-guk stated to reporters.
“The diabolical “beheading operation” and the South Korean attempt to collapse our system is the most extreme level of hostility against us”, the statement said, saying the “military and people hallow our leader more than all of our lives”.
The commander also said that it is critical for South Korea and the U.S.to establish a “layered and interoperable ballistic missile defense system” and THAAD’s deployment will advance the goal and complement the Patriot system’s capabilities. South Korea has a particularly crucial role to play.
Qiu’s remarks, taken by many as China putting explicit pressure on the South Korean government, sparked public criticism in South Korea.
However, the United States and South Korea recently postponed the start of talks on THAAD deployment, calling off a ceremony scheduled for Tuesday that would have seen both sides sign an agreement on the talks.
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“If they were truly concerned, if they truly interested, I believe China would and should intervene with North Korea and convince them to quit their cycle of provocation”, he said.
