[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] South Korea-China Defense Ministers... Will They Mention the THAAD Issue?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The defense ministers of South Korea and China are expected to engage in a tense exchange over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system after 2 years and 7 months.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 10th, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (魏鳳和) will hold a bilateral meeting in the afternoon on the sidelines of the 19th Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) held in Singapore. This will be the first meeting between the South Korean and Chinese defense ministers since November 2019, when they met at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Bangkok, Thailand.

At this meeting, they are expected to focus on discussing the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's preparations for its 7th nuclear test and successive ballistic missile provocations, as well as bilateral issues.

The main issue is the THAAD deployment. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has declared additional THAAD deployments, making friction with China inevitable. In particular, there is a strong possibility that matters related to the US military base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, will be raised. This is because the South Korean government recently expressed its intention to "normalize" the THAAD base, which has been in a "temporary deployment" status for five years. The Ministry of National Defense is currently preparing to establish an evaluation committee to conduct a general environmental impact assessment of the THAAD base site together with the Ministry of Environment and the relevant local governments.

On the other hand, China has consistently claimed that THAAD poses a threat to its national security. In fact, China took various retaliatory measures against South Korea, such as the "Hanhanryeong" (限韓令, Korean Wave ban), during the decision and actual deployment process of THAAD in 2016-17.

Some expect that both South Korea and China, emphasizing "maintaining friendly relations" as this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, will superficially discuss North Korean denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Additionally, South Korea and China are expected to discuss enhancing defense exchanges and cooperation, including measures to prevent accidental collisions in the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ). Earlier on the 2nd, South Korea and China held a video conference for the Defense Policy Working Group and agreed to open additional direct communication lines (hotlines) between their naval and air forces.

Minister Lee is also scheduled to hold successive bilateral meetings with the defense ministers of Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore on the same day, in addition to China.

The Asia Security Conference is an event where top security commanders from major Asia-Pacific countries gather, held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore since 2002, and is known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. It was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, about 40 countries including South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand are participating. The NATO Military Committee Chairman and the Ukrainian Defense Minister will also attend. The conference lasts for three days, and this afternoon, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver the keynote speech.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.