By Jun Ji-hye
Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Flynn and South Korea's National Security Office chief, Kim Kwan-jin, have reaffirmed that the two nations' plan to deploy an advanced U.S. anti-missile system here will go as planned despite China's growing protest.
The two reached the agreement during a meeting in Washington, Monday, according to Kim. The meeting focused on ways to move bilateral relations forward and how to deal with North Korea with Donald Trump scheduled to take office as the U.S. president, Jan. 20.
"The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is purely a defense system," Kim told South Korean reporters there, Tuesday. "The deployment is part of our self-defense measures. As this is an issue pertaining to our sovereignty, we won't care even if China opposes it. The two countries reached consensus on making sure to deploy it as agreed and we will go ahead as planned."
Seoul and Washington decided in July last year to deploy a THAAD battery with the United States Forces Korea this year to defend against evolving nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang.
But China has been strongly opposed to the deployment based on the belief that the X-band radar of the system could be used to spy on the country's military activities and missile capabilities.
Angered by the deployment decision, Beijing has taken various retaliatory actions ― popular South Korean entertainers have been banned from performing in China since late last year. Beijing also abruptly stopped South Korean airlines from operating chartered flights between the two countries beginning this month.
On Monday, about ten Chinese military planes including six strategic bombers entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) near Jeju Island, which was also seen as part of China's armed protest against the deployment.
"Washington will also keep speaking to China about the necessity and justification of the deployment," Kim said.
The two officials also agreed that the North's nuclear program can never be tolerated, pledging to work together to change the North's calculus through effective sanctions and pressure so as to get the Kim Jong-un regime to move toward denuclearization.
They agreed to work closely together to get China to vigorously enforce sanctions against the North.
"National Security Advisor-designate Flynn expressed a strong willingness to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance, comparing the alliance to a sticky rice cake," Kim said.
The sticky rice cake metaphor is commonly used to describe an inseparable bond in Korean culture.
It is the latest in a series of remarks that Flynn has made to dispel concerns that the incoming Donald Trump administration would neglect the alliance as he expressed negative views of U.S. security commitments overseas, as well as a willingness to withdraw American troops from the South unless Seoul pays more for them.
Kim said, however, that he did not talk about defense cost-sharing with Flynn during the meeting.
The meeting took place amid growing speculation that the reclusive state may push ahead with major provocations this month on or around the inauguration of Trump.
In his New Year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed Pyongyang was in the final stages of preparations for a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The North's KN-08 road-mobile ICBM with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers is capable, in theory, of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.
When asked about countermeasures that the Trump administration can take in response to the North's possible provocations, Kim refused to mention details, only saying, "I think the U.S. would deliver a strong message."
Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Flynn and South Korea's National Security Office chief, Kim Kwan-jin, have reaffirmed that the two nations' plan to deploy an advanced U.S. anti-missile system here will go as planned despite China's growing protest.
The two reached the agreement during a meeting in Washington, Monday, according to Kim. The meeting focused on ways to move bilateral relations forward and how to deal with North Korea with Donald Trump scheduled to take office as the U.S. president, Jan. 20.
"The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is purely a defense system," Kim told South Korean reporters there, Tuesday. "The deployment is part of our self-defense measures. As this is an issue pertaining to our sovereignty, we won't care even if China opposes it. The two countries reached consensus on making sure to deploy it as agreed and we will go ahead as planned."
Seoul and Washington decided in July last year to deploy a THAAD battery with the United States Forces Korea this year to defend against evolving nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang.
But China has been strongly opposed to the deployment based on the belief that the X-band radar of the system could be used to spy on the country's military activities and missile capabilities.
Angered by the deployment decision, Beijing has taken various retaliatory actions ― popular South Korean entertainers have been banned from performing in China since late last year. Beijing also abruptly stopped South Korean airlines from operating chartered flights between the two countries beginning this month.
On Monday, about ten Chinese military planes including six strategic bombers entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) near Jeju Island, which was also seen as part of China's armed protest against the deployment.
"Washington will also keep speaking to China about the necessity and justification of the deployment," Kim said.
The two officials also agreed that the North's nuclear program can never be tolerated, pledging to work together to change the North's calculus through effective sanctions and pressure so as to get the Kim Jong-un regime to move toward denuclearization.
They agreed to work closely together to get China to vigorously enforce sanctions against the North.
"National Security Advisor-designate Flynn expressed a strong willingness to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance, comparing the alliance to a sticky rice cake," Kim said.
The sticky rice cake metaphor is commonly used to describe an inseparable bond in Korean culture.
It is the latest in a series of remarks that Flynn has made to dispel concerns that the incoming Donald Trump administration would neglect the alliance as he expressed negative views of U.S. security commitments overseas, as well as a willingness to withdraw American troops from the South unless Seoul pays more for them.
Kim said, however, that he did not talk about defense cost-sharing with Flynn during the meeting.
The meeting took place amid growing speculation that the reclusive state may push ahead with major provocations this month on or around the inauguration of Trump.
In his New Year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed Pyongyang was in the final stages of preparations for a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The North's KN-08 road-mobile ICBM with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers is capable, in theory, of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.
When asked about countermeasures that the Trump administration can take in response to the North's possible provocations, Kim refused to mention details, only saying, "I think the U.S. would deliver a strong message."
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