- Aug 21, 2003
- 46,876
- 34,825
- 136
South Korea’s newly elected president, Moon Jae-in, has suspended the deployment of an American missile defense system, an apparent concession to China and a significant break with the United States on policy toward North Korea.
In comments to reporters, a senior official from the presidential Blue House in Seoul said on Wednesday that the two launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system that had been installed could remain but that four launchers that had yet to be deployed would not be set up until the administration completed an environmental assessment.
The missile defense system, known as Thaad, has been contentious in South Korea and has drawn sharp criticism from China, which views the system’s radar as a threat. Beijing has taken retaliatory economic measures against Seoul, including curtailing the flow of Chinese tourists and punishing South Korean companies in China.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/...a-thaad-missile-defense-us.html?smid=tw-share
The system is unpopular in SK and the new president isn't in love with the US. Maybe they're starting to think about China longer term esp since their economies are so tied together.