South Korea is committed to deploying an advanced US missile defense system this year despite opposition from China, a minister said Wednesday, even as opposition lawmakers headed to Beijing with a different message.
Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests -- prompting strong objections from China.
"THAAD deployment is part of our efforts to bolster defense against threats from North Korea," Defence Minister Han Min-Koo said in a report to the country's acting president.
"This is not a subject for political considerations," he told Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, who took over the executive powers of scandal-hit President Park Geun-Hye after she was impeached last month.
But the opposition Democratic Party has said they will review the deployment if they win upcoming presidential elections, and a group of their lawmakers flew to Beijing to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other top officials.
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