Seoul proposes three-way talks with China, US over THAAD deployment

South Korea has proposed holding three-way discussions with the United States and China over the deployment of the US missile shield THAAD here that is strongly opposed by Beijing, an informed source said Wednesday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the proposal was made at a bilateral summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, early last month.

Xi did not offer any immediate answer at the summit, according to the source. China has apparently remained silent.

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae refused to confirm, saying it would be "inappropriate" for it to release details of Moon's talks with other heads of state.

The South Korea-China relations have been on the wane after Seoul agreed to the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to the country last year. The allies began deploying the missile shield early in the year.

Beijing reacted with anger, placing de facto import restrictions on many South Korean products, including popular cosmetics products, while also prohibiting group tours of its people to South Korea that once accounted for a large portion of foreign tourists to the country.

Seoul and Washington insist that THAAD is a completely defensive system that is a necessary part of their joint efforts to rein in North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile technologies.

The communist North has staged seven missile tests since the Moon Jae-in administration took office in May, with its two latest missile launches involving claimed intercontinental ballistic missiles in a clear violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from any nuclear or missile activities. (Yonhap)