S. Korea urges China not to try to influence Seoul`s decision on missile defense system

South Korea`s defense ministry called on neighboring countries Tuesday not to try to influence Seoul`s policy on the proposed deployment of the U.S.-developed Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.

"Neighbors can have their own positions on the issue of the THAAD deployment by the U.S. Forces Korea but should not try to influence our national defense and security policy," Seoul`s defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a news briefing. "We will make a decision based on our own judgment from the viewpoint of military utility and national interest if the U.S. government asks for consultation."

The remarks seem to be Seoul`s official protest against visiting Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Jianchao`s explicitly expression of Beijing`s opposition to a THAAD deployment. "Everything will be determined from the perspectives of protecting (Korean) people`s lives and safety," the spokesman said.

Washington also expressed its displeasure toward Beijing over the issue of South Korea-U.S. military alliance. "I find it curious that a third country would presume to make strong representations about a security system that has not been put in place and that is still a matter of theory," visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel told reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.

ysh1005@donga.com