SEOUL/BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday that it is keeping close tabs on any possible escalation of retaliation by China against South Korea over its deployment of additional launchers for the U.S. THAAD missile defense system.
Earlier, the defense ministry here announced that the deployment of four launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, in addition to the two already in operation on a U.S. base in Seongju, 300 kilometers south of Seoul, has been completed. It described it as a "tentative" step to counter the growing threats from North Korea.
China has strongly opposed the THAAD installation, saying it could hurt its strategic security interests. It has taken retaliatory steps against South Korean businesses.
"The government will not make any hasty predictions but will keep a close eye on the situation," Cho June-hyuck, foreign ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.
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