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South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se appears on KBS talk show Sunday Diagnosis on the morning of Mar. 5.

On Mar. 5, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said that China’s retaliatory measures against the THAAD deployment could be in violation of WTO (World Trade Organization) regulations and the China-Korea FTA.

Yun made the remarks during an appearance on the KBS talk show Sunday Diagnosis on the morning of Mar. 5, adding that the government was closely examining China’s measures. Asked about the Chinese government’s ban on traveling to South Korea, Yun said, “It generally appears that such a measure is in place, though the Chinese government officially denies it. It’s not right to create artificial obstacles to human exchange.”

“Our clear position is that [the THAAD deployment] does not harm the interest or security of other countries, including China. If China imposes regulations or takes retaliatory measures, either officially or effectively, for reasons that are difficult to accept, that would not be proper,” Yun went on to say.

Yun also said that the argument that the THAAD deployment issue should be left for the next administration to decide resulted from “the failure to appreciate the security reality as sensitively as foreign policy and national security officials do.”

“North Korea has developed its nuclear capability to the point where it can attack not only the Korean Peninsula but also the continental US. The government believes that deploying THAAD as quickly as possible will be very helpful in responding to this security threat,” Yun said.

In related news, the South Korean military is taking steps to designate the Lotte Skyhill golf course in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province (the planned site for deploying THAAD) as a protected area for military installations. Article 4 of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act requires the accompaniment of “a statement of opinion [. . .] prepared after advance consultation with the head of the relevant administrative agency.”

As a consequence, the military is likely to move forward with holding deliberations with Seongju County and then receiving a statement of opinion from the county’s mayor. The government has initiated deliberations to provide the US military with the Seongju golf course in accordance with the US military‘s Status of Forces Agreement, and representatives from the US military have reportedly already visited the site.

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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