-Yoon to have lunch with UN Secretary-General Guterres tomorrow... "Focus on North Korea's nuclear issue"
-North Korea's Kim Yo-jong, who threatened retaliation, counterpart is "Unification Ministry Vice Minister"
[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] On the 11th, the Presidential Office emphasized that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by the US Forces Korea "cannot be subject to negotiation as it is a self-defensive measure to protect the lives and safety of our citizens from North Korea's nuclear missiles." Earlier, China claimed that the South Korean government officially declared the '3 No's and 1 Limit' policy regarding the deployment and operation of THAAD.
A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in the afternoon and explained, "THAAD is a matter of our national security sovereignty," adding, "We expect the THAAD base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, to be normalized by the end of this month."
The official also stated, "Regarding the '3 No's' related to THAAD, there is no information or matters handed over to us." When asked if there is a countermeasure in case China shows signs of economic retaliation, the official added, "The THAAD issue is a self-defensive measure to protect the lives and safety of our people." The '3 No's' refer to the policy announced by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha of the Moon Jae-in administration in October 2017, which includes ▲not deploying additional THAAD units, ▲not participating in a trilateral military alliance among South Korea, the US, and Japan, and ▲not joining the US-led missile defense (MD) system. The '1 Limit' refers to restricting the operation of the deployed THAAD system.
Additionally, when asked who is the South Korean counterpart to Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean Workers' Party vice department director who threatened retaliation by blaming the South for the COVID-19 outbreak, the Presidential Office said, "Since she is in charge of inter-Korean and external policies, it can be seen as a mix of the functions of the Ministry of Unification and the National Intelligence Service. In my view, it might be someone at the level of the Vice Minister of Unification."
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk-yeol is scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, who is visiting South Korea, on the 12th to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue. A National Security Office official stated, "Secretary-General Guterres, who is on a tour of South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia, has recently actively emphasized the need to strengthen the NPT regime by urging compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We will focus on discussing the North Korean nuclear issue, which is a direct threat and challenge to the international non-proliferation regime."
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