A file picture showing South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-goo [Yonhap News Photo]
US and South Korean defense chiefs agreed Tuesday to push ahead with the controversial deployment of an advanced missile shield on the Korean peninsula despite an escalating diplomatic fracas caused by China's strong objection.
The agreement came at a telephone conversation between US Defense Secretary James Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-goo, Han's office said. Mattis is scheduled to visit Seoul this week.
US troops stationed in South Korea hope to bring in the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system by the end of this year. China contends the missile shield will seriously hurt its strategic interests as well as the security balance in Northeast Asia.
China accounts for one-fourth of South Korea's total exports, and South Korea is concerned about Beijing's retaliation in trade, entertainment, and other areas.
Mattis pledged a strong alliance between Seoul and Washington to counter North Korean provocations, citing Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs as a serious security concern, the defense ministry said.
Some 28,000 American troops are stationed in South Korea to deter North Korea's possible aggression, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
