THAAD deployment gets passing mention in Russia-South Korea talks

Washington’s plans to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on Korean soil was raised at a June 13 meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se, but only in passing, The Korea Times reported on its website.

“(The Russian side) mentioned a confrontational structure in Asia but barely talked about it," Yun was cited by the paper as saying to Korean reporters. “This showed (Moscow's) will to focus more on bilateral relations and the North Korean nuclear issue.”

The countries will look at ways to expand economic cooperation during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which will be held on June 16-18, Yun said.

“At the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, we will begin to discuss economic issues,” Yun said, according to TASS. “The Korean government has a very important interest in the development of the Far East. This is the point of contact of our Eurasian initiative policy and the Russian government’s Far East and Siberia development policy.”

Yun also noted that Hyundai has an active presence in St. Petersburg.

Read more: The battle for Vietnam’s arms market

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.