Trucks with the first parts of the US counterattack shield THAAD arrived on a Wednesday morning in South Korea while the tensions with neighboring North Korea are growing, world news agencies announced. The arrival of six trucks on the golf course to which the equipment was supposed to be was the cause of the conflict between residents and the police, France-Presse reported. Washington and Seoul initially announced that the missile shield would begin on March 7, arguing that they would bring protection against the threat of North Korean ballistic missiles that the regime in Pyongyang is persistently developing in spite of international sanctions.
The shield, which should be operational by the end of the year, will halt and destroy North Korean ballistic missiles of short and medium range in the final stages of their trajectory. The United States and South Korea have decided to set up the THAAD shield after talks with South Korea's interim president and US Vice President Mike Pence in early March.
China is furious
china is sharply opposed to setting this shield as it will limit its missile capabilities. Following the recent North Korean rocket experiments, the US sent the carrier Carl Vinson and his air-sea crew to the Korean peninsula. Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the US to "restraint" towards North Korea in a telephone conversation with Trump on Monday.
Spokesman of the lead candidate at the South Korean presidential election on May 9, Moon Jae-ina, said on Wednesday that the decision by the US military chief to place parts of the protracted shield of THAAD on conviction, reports Reuters.
Moon's spokeswoman Park Kwang-on points out in a statement that it is a "very bad" decision because it deprives the future government of the right to make a political decision on the controversial anti-missile defense system.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States to suspend Military Exercises in South Korea on Wednesday, as the gap between Washington and Pyongyang increases. "Resuming nuclear tests is a violation of the United Nations resolutions, as well as continuing military exercises around the peninsula," Wang said and demanded an interruption of military exercises by the US and South Korean military.
He spoke at a press conference in Berlin on a meeting with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.
A great threat
"It is a great threat to the emergence of new conflicts at all times, and that is why we call on all sides to be cold-blooded and avoid the moves and statements that could cause new provocations," the Chinese minister said. Asked about the dangers of armed conflict, he said that not even "one percent of the danger could not be tolerated because the war would have unimaginable consequences".
