By Yi Whan-woo
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul lodged a protest with the South Korean government over a rally demanding the withdrawal of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, according to diplomatic sources, Wednesday.
The protest came ahead of the first summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump, slated for Friday and Saturday (KST), in Washington, D.C.
In a letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy claimed that allowing the anti-THAAD protesters to surround the embassy building in downtown Seoul was “problematic.”
The embassy cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which specifies a host country’s obligation to protect the premises of diplomatic missions.
Over 2,000 protesters from 90 civic and labor groups jointly held a rally against THAAD, Saturday. They surrounded the embassy in a circle for about 19 minutes while the police maintained a minimum level of security.
This was the first major anti-U.S. rally since Moon Jae-in took office in May.
The Seoul government said THAAD is not on the agenda to be discussed between Moon and Trump.
Given Trump’s unpredictable nature, some diplomatic sources speculate that this may not be the case.
A foreign ministry official said the ministry will take all measures that are needed to help diplomatic missions carry out their work in a stable manner.