US Missile System In South Korea Would Hurt Seoul-Beijing Ties: Envoy

The isolated state has long sought a peace treaty with the United States and other parties in the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as an end to military exercises by South Korea and the United States, which has about 28,500 troops based in South Korea.

With the South’s assets there frozen by Pyongyang, the North is expected to either operate the factories in Kaesong themselves or move facilities and smuggle materials to other places, like the northwestern border city of Sinuiju, without approval from the South.

Information control in North Korea is tight, and the Pyongyang regime “closes the eyes and ears” of the people – preventing most, even senior officials, from ever knowing anything about Kim’s lavish lifestyle and the abject conditions in the prison camps.

Seoul defense ministry spokesperson Moon Sang-gyun suggested at a briefing that the possibility of THAAD talks was still very much alive, with preparations “in the final stages”.

Washington (CNN)The top USA military commander in South Korea said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would use a weapon of mass destruction if he thought the fate of his rule was at stake.

The U.S. previously has expressed openness to peace talks but that Pyongyang would first have to abandon its nuclear program.

The delay comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit Washington from Tuesday to meet his United States counterpart John Kerry for possible talks over the controversial defense system and North Korea.

The latest diplomatic dance between the US and North Korea started in October, when Obama signaled that Washington was willing to negotiate a deal similar to the agreement reached a year ago with Iran, in which Tehran agreed to significantly curb its nuclear program in exchange for worldwide sanctions being lifted. ― Reuters picSEOUL, Feb 24 ― South Korea’s military warned North Korea today to halt all “provocations”, saying its reckless actions would only speed up the “collapse of its dictatorial system”.

North Korea has violated multiple United Nations resolutions again by conducting its fourth nuclear test on 6 January 2016, and launching a long-range rocket on 7 February in defiance of worldwide sanctions.

North Korea has regularly proposed peace talks over the years, pushing the U.S.to replace the 1953 armistice with a formal peace treaty, said Klingner. If China has the political will to punish North Korea for its belligerent behaviour, it certainly can do so.

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.

North Korea will face “stern punishment” if it ignored Seoul’s warning, it said.