By Rachel Lee
South Korea is strengthening diplomatic efforts to seek understanding from China and Russia about its recent decision to allow the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se convened a meeting of senior diplomats, Saturday, in an apparent move to discuss future diplomatic strategies with neighboring countries ― especially China and Russia, which have opposed the deployment of THAAD in South Korea, sources said Sunday.
“We will cooperate closely with the two countries to prevent the agreement on THAAD from dampening economic and security ties with them,” a South Korean diplomat said on condition of anonymity. “We will especially focus on continuing concerted international efforts regarding North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.”
China and Russia expressed strong discontent and opposition after the South and the U.S. announced the decision, arguing that the THAAD’s long-range radar can be used to spy on their military activities despite U.S. assurances that the missile shield will only be used for detecting and shooting down possible missiles from the North.
Beijing summoned the two allies’ ambassadors to China ― Kim Jang-soo of South Korea and Max Baucus of the U.S. ― in protest of the decision.
“The THAAD system does not help achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and also hurts peace and stability in the region,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: “The United States, with the support of its allies, continues to build the capacity of the Asia-Pacific segment of the global missile defense system, which tends to undermine the existing strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.” “Such actions have the most negative impact on global strategic stability, which Washington so likes to discuss a commitment to.”
As well as bilateral relations with those nations, the South Korean government is expected to focus on preventing potential weakening of international cooperation in sanctioning Pyongyang, which could result from their opposition. It is expected to keep emphasizing the purpose of the deployment ― to keep South Koreans safe from the North’s escalating nuclear threats.
The meeting has also reportedly discussed possible countermeasures against Pyongyang’s firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast on Saturday.
Seoul and Washington are most likely to take action against the test, which was a direct violation of U.N. resolutions, but it is not certain whether China and Russia will cooperate with the measures as much as they did before.
There is speculation that the North’s recent SLBM launch could be a “test” to figure out whether Moscow and Beijing are willing to cooperate in pressing Pyongyang to give up nuclear ambitions.
This was the second time the North has conducted the SLBM test. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement condemning North Korea for the first SLBM test in April, saying that the launch was “another serious violation” of existing U.N. resolutions.
The foreign ministry said it will strengthen “deterrence against North Korea through its defense alliance with the U.S with countermeasures, including the deployment of the THAAD system.”
The THAAD decision came after years of disputes over whether the South should allow American troops to deploy the missile system on South Korean soil to effectively handle Pyongyang’s evolving missile threats in the face of opposition from China and Russia.