Conservative Bareun Party condemns China's economic retaliation

South Korea's Bareun Party on Friday criticized the Chinese government for rolling out economic retaliations against Seoul in an apparent response to the scheduled deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system.

The remark came after China ordered its travel firms to suspend tours to South Korea after Seoul signed a land acquisition deal to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery last month.

South Korea has been seeking to use the battery to improve its defense capabilities against North Korea, but Beijing has been expressing discontent over the increased presence of the U.S. military in Northeast Asia.

"It is a shameful retaliation," said Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, the head of the Bareun Party.

Choung said the THAAD system is needed to defend the country against North Korea's nuke and missile provocations, adding it is inappropriate for Beijing to discriminate against South Korean firms.

The party head also claimed Moon Jae-in, a potential presidential candidate from the main opposition Democratic Party, should also come up with a clear stance on the deployment of the THAAD system.

The opposition bloc, which has been protesting against the battery, citing Seoul's relationship with Beijing, currently insists the deployment should be handled by the next administration. (Yonhap)