Korea, China vice FMs to meet in Seoul

China has warned South Korea against the deployment of THAAD and is suspicious of United States motives and the possibility the technology could be used toward regional surveillance.

Washington and Seoul will begin talks about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD), they said a week ago following a surprise nuclear test and satellite launch by the hermit kingdom that raised fresh concerns about its weapons ambitions.

– South Korean citizens watch a TV news program with a file footage about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) long-range missile launch, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Feb.7, 2016.

It will provide an opportunity for the two sides to have rare high-level face-to-face consultations on such sensitive issues as Washington’s move to deploy the THAAD missile defense system on the peninsula and a rift over the level of punishment against Pyongyang.

As one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, THAAD can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their final phase of flight.

Ruling party lawmaker Lee Wan-young said there is a low probability THAAD would be deployed at Camp Carroll, a US Army base near Daegu, Korea’s third-largest city.

China has already reiterated that it will approach the matter diplomatically, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi stating that they will be “safeguarding China’s national security interests” as a core principle in an interview with Reuters during the Munich Security Conference.

Officials from China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will discuss the current situation on the Korean Peninsula in Seoul on Tuesday, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei Monday.

“The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States…goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent”, Wang said on the sidelines of the Munich meeting.

Meanwhile, Alexander Timonin, Russia’s Ambassador to the ROK, expressed opposition to THAAD’s possible deployment as early as February 2.