China: "Korea Made External Pledge of '3 Bul-1 Han' on THAAD"

The Chinese government claimed that the South Korean government has externally promised to limit the operation of the previously deployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. This contradicts the South Korean government's position and is expected to become a flashpoint between the two countries in the future.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded on the 10th during a regular briefing to a question about the meaning of "valuing security concerns and handling them appropriately," which was stated by China at the recent South Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting regarding THAAD. He said, "The deployment of THAAD by the United States in South Korea clearly harms China's strategic security interests, and China has expressed its concerns to South Korea multiple times."

He continued, "The South Korean government has formally made a political pledge of '3 No's and 1 Limit' externally," adding, "China values this position of the South Korean government, has reached an understanding with South Korea, and both sides have gradually and amicably handled the THAAD issue."

The "3 No's" regarding THAAD mean no additional deployment of THAAD, no participation in the U.S. missile defense (MD) system, and no military alliance among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

This is the first time the Chinese government has described the "1 Limit," which refers to restricting the operation of THAAD already deployed by the U.S. Forces Korea, as an external promise made by South Korea.