U.S. missile defense chief in South Korea to discuss THAAD

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Gen. Vincent Brooks met with the director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency on Thursday, according to USFK.

Brooks met with Vice Adm. James D. Syring of the U.S. Navy to discuss THAAD, the anti-missile defense system to be deployed in South Korea by 2017, local news service News 1 reported.

Meeting discussions centered on the recent resolution to place THAAD in the South in order to respond to the increased missile threats from North Korea, USFK stated.

Talks also covered the need for a multilayered missile defense system in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats to the South Korean population.

Plans to deploy THAAD have been met with some opposition from South Korean activists and objections to the proposal are growing in Russia and China.

Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov told Russian daily Izvestia that he is opposed to THAAD because the system exceeds requirements for dealing with a North Korean threat.

Denisov said Beijing and Moscow are prepared for the worsening of the situation on the Korean peninsula.

The "nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula" is much bigger than North Korea's nuclear weapons tests and missile launches, Denisov reportedly said.

Denisov added that while China and Russia condemn North Korean actions that damage global and regional security, military buildup among allies – the United States and South Korea – in the name of North Korea's nuclear tests is condemnable.

Izvestia also quoted an unidentified Chinese diplomat who said discussions in Beijing are underway to downsize South Korea's product share in the Chinese market.