Russia is opposed to the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea because it could destabilize the region's security landscape, Moscow's top envoy to Seoul said Tuesday.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has been a source of renewed controversy in Northeast Asia as South Korea is seen as moving to introduce it in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test. Russia and China have expressed strong opposition to the idea, anxious about an even greater U.S. military presence in the region.
"This issue is drawing a lot of attention in Russia," Ambassador Alexander Timonin said during a meeting with reporters at the embassy. "We are paying close attention to the increased contacts over the issue between relevant organizations of the U.S. and the Republic of Korea."
Washington is seeking to deploy a THAAD battery to South Korea, saying it is necessary to better shield its 27,000 troops in the country from North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. Both Seoul and Washington, however, have repeatedly denied that formal talks are under way.
China and Russia said a THAAD unit here would bring the region back to the Cold War-like tensions.
"Russia believes that the deployment of THAAD to South Korea will not be helpful to peace and security in Northeast Asia nor to the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," Timonin said. "That is why Russia is urging all relevant nations to refrain from actions especially in the military field that could aggravate the situation."
Following the North's nuclear test on Jan. 6, Russia, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has joined consultations on a sanctions resolution against Pyongyang, but it has no plans to impose unilateral sanctions on the neighbor, the ambassador said.
"Before we talk about sanctions, we must first determine the exact nature of the test North Korea conducted," he said. "North Korea claims it tested a hydrogen bomb, but Russia has no evidence to confirm that."
At this stage, it would be too early to discuss the level or type of sanctions, he added.
What's clear, however, is that Russia and China will likely adopt similar positions on the sanctions resolution because they share a "nearly identical" view on how to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, according to the envoy.
China is reluctant to push the North too hard out of concerns for its own security interests, including the possibility of an influx of North Korean refugees or a U.S.-allied, unified Korea on its borders. Analysts say Beijing regards Pyongyang as a buffer against American hegemony in Northeast Asia.
Timonin cast doubts over the effectiveness of any nuclear talks excluding the North, saying Russia believes it is impossible to resolve the nuclear issue without Pyongyang's participation.
President Park Geun-hye proposed last month that South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. hold five-way talks to bring the North back to the six-party negotiations on ending its nuclear program. The six countries last met in late 2008.
The U.S. and Japan welcomed the proposal, while China and Russia effectively rejected it. (Yonhap)
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has been a source of renewed controversy in Northeast Asia as South Korea is seen as moving to introduce it in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test. Russia and China have expressed strong opposition to the idea, anxious about an even greater U.S. military presence in the region.
"This issue is drawing a lot of attention in Russia," Ambassador Alexander Timonin said during a meeting with reporters at the embassy. "We are paying close attention to the increased contacts over the issue between relevant organizations of the U.S. and the Republic of Korea."
Washington is seeking to deploy a THAAD battery to South Korea, saying it is necessary to better shield its 27,000 troops in the country from North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. Both Seoul and Washington, however, have repeatedly denied that formal talks are under way.
China and Russia said a THAAD unit here would bring the region back to the Cold War-like tensions.
"Russia believes that the deployment of THAAD to South Korea will not be helpful to peace and security in Northeast Asia nor to the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," Timonin said. "That is why Russia is urging all relevant nations to refrain from actions especially in the military field that could aggravate the situation."
Following the North's nuclear test on Jan. 6, Russia, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has joined consultations on a sanctions resolution against Pyongyang, but it has no plans to impose unilateral sanctions on the neighbor, the ambassador said.
"Before we talk about sanctions, we must first determine the exact nature of the test North Korea conducted," he said. "North Korea claims it tested a hydrogen bomb, but Russia has no evidence to confirm that."
At this stage, it would be too early to discuss the level or type of sanctions, he added.
What's clear, however, is that Russia and China will likely adopt similar positions on the sanctions resolution because they share a "nearly identical" view on how to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, according to the envoy.
China is reluctant to push the North too hard out of concerns for its own security interests, including the possibility of an influx of North Korean refugees or a U.S.-allied, unified Korea on its borders. Analysts say Beijing regards Pyongyang as a buffer against American hegemony in Northeast Asia.
Timonin cast doubts over the effectiveness of any nuclear talks excluding the North, saying Russia believes it is impossible to resolve the nuclear issue without Pyongyang's participation.
President Park Geun-hye proposed last month that South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. hold five-way talks to bring the North back to the six-party negotiations on ending its nuclear program. The six countries last met in late 2008.
The U.S. and Japan welcomed the proposal, while China and Russia effectively rejected it. (Yonhap)
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