South Korea, China clash over U.S. missile shield

President Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to abandon the previous government's promises not to increase THAAD deployments

China and South Korea clashed on Thursday over a U.S. missile defence shield, threatening to undermine efforts by the new government in Seoul to overcome longstanding security differences, Qazet.az reports.

The disagreement over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system emerged after an apparently smooth first visit to China by South Korea's foreign minister this week.

China, contending THAAD's powerful radar could peer into its airspace, curbed trade and cultural imports after Seoul announced its deployment in 2016, dealing a major blow to relations.

South Korea's presidential office said on Thursday the system stationed in the country is a means of self-defence, according to a briefing transcript, after Beijing demanded Seoul not deploy additional batteries and limit the use of existing ones.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, seeing the system as key to countering North Korean missiles, has vowed to abandon the previous government's promises not to increase THAAD deployments, participate in a U.S.-led global missile shield or create a trilateral military alliance involving Japan.