China's demand on US missile defense excluded from treaty -- Seoul FM

TOKYO, Aug 10 (KUNA) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said Wednesday that he clearly conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that Beijing's demands regarding US anti-missile systems have not been included in a bilateral agreement or treaty of any kind, public broadcaster KBS reported.
Park made the comment during a press conference with South Korean media in Beijing on Wednesday after holding talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi the previous day.
Beijing's demands include that there be no additional deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense batteries on the Korean Peninsula and that Seoul refrains from participating in a US ballistic missile defense system and a trilateral military alliance involving Japan, according to KBS.
Park said he clearly asserted that countering North Korea's missile threats is a self-defense measure that falls under South Korean sovereignty and that the two sides agreed the THAAD issue should no longer get in the way of advancing bilateral ties.
Park's remarks appeared to contrast with the Chinese Foreign Ministry's press release issued after the meeting which stated that Beijing had requested Seoul to take seriously its security concerns over THAAD and to take appropriate steps to resolve the issue, the report said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said that the two sides shared the view that they should make joint efforts so that THAAD does not hamper South Korea-China relations.
The THAAD battery was first deployed in South Korea in 2017 to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. China has been condemning the deployment of the US missile defense system as a threat to its national security. (end) mk.mt