Tillerson's visit to focus on THAAD

Top US diplomat will visit next week before heading to Beijing

By Jun Ji-hye

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit South Korea next week to discuss evolving North Korean threats and the deployment of an advanced missile defense system here, officials said Wednesday.

On his first trip to Northeast Asia since being appointed, Washington’s top diplomat also will visit Japan and China, the State Department said, noting that he will be in Tokyo from March 15 to 17, Seoul on March 17 and 18, and Beijing, March 18.

“In each country, Secretary Tillerson will meet with senior officials to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues, including strategic coordination to address the advancing nuclear and missile threat from the DPRK, and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to further broaden and enhance U.S. economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region,” the department said.

Seoul’s foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck confirmed Tillerson’s visit, saying: “We expect his visit to enable South Korea and the United States to hold timely discussions on how to better cooperate in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear programs and deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.”

While in Seoul, Tillerson is scheduled to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se, the ministry said. This will be the second face-to-face talks between the top diplomats of the two allies under President Donald Trump’s administration, after they held a 20-minute conversation in Bonn, Germany, on the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers from the G-20 nations last month.

Tillerson’s visit comes amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of Pyongyang’s launch, Monday, of four ballistic missiles into the East Sea, presumed to be Scud-ERs (extended range) with a range of 1,000 kilometers. The launch came 22 days after the Kim Jong-un regime tested a new intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Conflict between South Korea and China has also intensified over the deployment of the THAAD unit. Seoul and Washington have begun the process of installing the battery after the first batch of equipment, including two missile launchers, was delivered to South Korea, Monday night.

China is strongly opposed to the deployment, claiming the battery seriously undermines Beijing’s strategic security interests, despite Seoul and Washington’s assurance that the system is designed only to defend against North Korean missiles.

Diplomatic sources said Tillerson is expected to stress the importance of China’s role in thwarting the North’s nuclear ambitions as Beijing ― Pyongyang’s only powerful ally ― wields tremendous influence on the isolated state. He is also expected to deal with China’s retaliation against South Korea over the deployment.

Beijing has been taking economic retaliation, including restricting tourists to South Korea, suspending operations of the nation’s retail giant Lotte Mart in China and banning South Korean entertainment content.

Eyes are also on what message Tillerson will deliver to the North, as hard-line measures, including the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, are being mentioned by the Trump administration.

Sources in Seoul said arrangements are being made to share the results of the meeting either through a joint statement or a press conference.