China voices concern over U.S. THAAD on Korean soil

China's defense minister expressed concern Wednesday over a possible deployment of the United States' advanced missile-defense (MD) system in South Korea, Seoul's defense ministry said.

The U.S. has said it is considering deploying a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, an integral part of its MD system, to South Korea, citing evolving threats from North Korea. It is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a higher altitude in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill method.

"Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan expressed concern over the possible THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters, without further elaboration.

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