Beijing decries deployment of more THAAD launchers in S. Korea

The Chinese government on Thursday expressed concern that several more US-made advanced missile defense batteries were secretly deployed recently in South Korea. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers were found to have been brought into the country without President Moon Jae-in being informed. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed in a statement that the deployment "will severely damage China's security interests and undermine the regional strategic balance." Reports have said Beijing fears that the system's radar could be used to monitor Chinese military operations. Two THAAD launchers were deployed in South Korea in late April amid soaring tensions with North Korea.