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Moscow concerned over Seoul’s plans to deploy US missile defense shield

Moscow considers the step as leading to potential buildup in the Asia-Pacific region
EPA/BARBARA WALTON
EPA/BARBARA WALTON

MOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. Moscow has expressed serious concern over Seoul’s plans to deploy U.S. missile defense systems, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after consultations in Moscow involving Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and his South Korean counterpart Kim Hyoung-zhin.

"Following South Korea’s decision that was announced today to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system, most serious concern of the Russia side was expressed to Kim Hyoung-zhin," the ministry said.

"It was stressed that Moscow considers this step as leading to buildup of potential of the Asia-Pacific segment of the U.S. missile shield and undermining the existing strategic balances in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond it," the ministry said.

"The implementation of this decision will inevitable entail growth of tensions in northeastern Asia and will complicate the search for ways of settling the Korean Peninsula’s problems, including the task of its denuclearization," the ministry said.

According to the Russian foreign ministry, the consultations also touched upon issues of Russian-South Korean bilateral relations.

Earlier on Friday, South Korea’s ministry of national defense said that Seoul and Washington had agreed to deploy THAAD missile defense systems in the south of the Korean Peninsula.