Ministry of Foreign Affairs Responds to China's 'THAAD 3 No's' Claim with "External Communication Under Security Sovereignty Position"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 28th regarding China's demand to maintain the so-called THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) 3-No Policy, "Protecting the lives and safety of our people amid the escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea is a core issue linked to security sovereignty," and added, "We will establish related policies based on a firm stance and communicate externally."

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said about Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian's public demand for the THAAD 3-No Policy, "Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin clearly mentioned this issue during the National Assembly's government inquiry session."

The 3-No Policy means no additional deployment of THAAD, no participation in the trilateral military alliance among South Korea, the United States, and Japan, and no involvement in the U.S.-led missile defense (MD) system.

Regarding this, Minister Park stated during the National Assembly's government inquiry on the 25th, "The 3-No Policy is not a promise or agreement made with China but rather an explanation of our position," and added, "Since this is a matter related to security sovereignty, it is naturally something that should be concluded based on our judgment. Therefore, it is difficult to accept China's demand that we keep a promise with them."

In response to Minister Park's remarks, spokesperson Zhao said at a regular briefing on the 27th, "Maintaining the basic continuity of foreign policy even when a new party comes to power is the way to communicate," and asserted, "The new administration cannot ignore past debts."