MANILA -- South Korea's decision last month to install additional launchers of the U.S. missile shield system called THAAD threw cold water on relations between South Korea and China, Beijing's top diplomat said Sunday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha on the sidelines of a string of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila.
(AFP-Yonhap)
In response, Kang reiterated Seoul's stance that the THAAD deployment is a matter of "national defense" and called for communication to resolve the feud between the two countries.
As a part of countermeasures against North Korea's two missile provocations last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered the four additional missile launchers of the THAAD system to be deployed.
Since the decision to build a THAAD battery comprised of six launchers was announced in July last year, China has opposed its installation, saying that it could undermine its strategic security interests.
Currently two launchers have been installed, while the remaining four have been on standby pending an environmental impact review. (Yonhap)
