US Ambassador Says Talks About THAAD Are Premature

The US Ambassador to Korea says that is premature to begin official talks in regards to deploying THAAD to Korea:

The top U.S. envoy to South Korea said it would be premature for Seoul and Washington to publicly discuss the possible deployment of a new U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea, an opposition party spokesman said Monday.

Ambassador Mark Lippert said that no formal negotiations took place between the two allies over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery, though internal discussions are under way in the U.S., said Kim Yung-rok, a spokesman for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.

Lippert made the comment through an interpreter in a meeting with Moon Jae-in, head of the main opposition party at the party headquarters.

Lippert defended the missile-defense system, citing what he described as serious threats posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.  [Yonhap]

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