[AP/Yonhap News Photo ]
Chinese President Xi Jinping told South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn that Seoul needs to be "cautious" about a possible deployment of an advanced US missile system in South Korea.
Xi made the remarks during a meeting with Hwang, who is on a five-day visit to China, in Beijing, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.
Xi urged South Korea "to attach importance to China's legitimate concern on security and 'cautiously and appropriately' address the United States' plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the country," the report said.
In the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test and the launch of a long-range rocket earlier this year, South Korea and the United States started formal talks on deploying a THAAD battery to South Korea to better defend Seoul from Pyongyang's growing threats.
For South Korea, the decision to adopt the US missile system was based on its national security interests to enhance its defense posture against North Korea's advances in nuclear and missile programs.
Russia and China have long voiced opposition to the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea, claiming that the US missile shield may undermine the strategic balance in the region.
South Korea and the US have dismissed the concerns, saying the THAAD system is defensive in nature and would only target North Korea.
(Yonhap)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
