SEOUL, Aug 7, (APP/AFP) – South Korea on Sunday
rejected China’s criticism over the planned deployment in the South of a US anti-missile system, saying Beijing’s failure to curb its ally North Korea had created the situation.
Seoul’s decision to deploy the powerful US system, to counter a growing
threat from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, threatens to damage
relations with its largest trading partner Beijing.
China has condemned the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system
as a move against its own national security interests and said it would further
heighten regional tension.
The People’s Daily even warned Seoul Thursday Seoul of the potentially
costly “domino effect”, saying the South would “inevitably be the first target”
in any conflict between China and the US.
The South’s presidential office however urged China to work harder to tame
its neighbour North Korea, saying THAAD would have been unnecessary had there
been no threat from it.
“Chinese media recently put the cart before the horse in insisting that our
decision to host the THAAD was the cause of the North’s series of provocations
including ballistic missile launches,” the presidential Blue House said in a
statement.
Tension has been running high since the North staged its fourth nuclear
test in January and a series of missile launches since then — most recently
last Wednesday.
“We believe that China, before taking issue with our purely defensive move,
should raise the issue more strongly with the North, which… is disrupting the
peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia,” it said.
China is the sole major ally of the impoverished and isolated North, which
relies heavily on food and oil imports from its neighbour.
The Blue House also urged a group of six Seoul lawmakers from the main
left-leaning opposition party to scrap a plan to visit Beijing, after they had
announced the August 8-10 trip aimed at discussing ways of mending ties.
“No matter what the intention of these lawmakers is, their trip would
eventually help strengthen the Chinese government’s stance and deepen division
within South Koreans,” it said.
The decision to host THAAD in the South has met opposition from
left-leaning Seoul lawmakers and activists who argue it will imperil diplomatic
and economic ties with China.
China is South Korea’s largest trading partner and accounts for one quarter
of its exports.
Concerns have grown particularly in the South’s vast entertainment industry
about the possible loss of a key market for the pop music and dramas which have
taken China by storm for the past decade.
A number of events scheduled in China involving South Korean stars —
including TV appearances or “fan meetings” with Chinese fans — were abruptly
cancelled recently.