Chinese rap song warns against THAAD in South Korea

May 12 (UPI) -- In its ongoing bid to remove a U.S.-deployed THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, China has deployed an unusual tactical strike force: nationalist rappers.

The Sichuan-based hip-hop group CD Rev released a song about the international conflict, warning South Koreans about the perils of defying China, particularly over THAAD.

The song is the latest in an ongoing culture battle being waged by the Chinese over Korea's alliance with the United States and deployment of the missile system, which China's government sees as a threat. Citizens have organized boycotts of Korean goods. The government has censored Korean pop music. Now, the Chinese hip-hop scene is weighing in.

"How many times do I hadda warn you, my lovely little neighbor boy?" the song begins, referencing South Korea. "This time, kid, you gone too far."

The rappers switch to Chinese later in the song.

CD Rev has produced nationalist-themed songs before, including tracks about the legacy of Mao Zedong and China's territorial disputes with other countries over parts of the South China Sea.

The U.S. government rushed to deploy the THAAD missile system earlier this year, before Korean elections in the wake of the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, who favored the THAAD system as a deterrent against North Korea's burgeoning nuclear weapons program. In her place, South Koreans elected the liberal, Moon Jae-in, who has vowed to improve relations with China and take a more diplomatic approach to dealing with North Korea.