South Korea yesterday said talks with the United States on deploying a sophisticated anti-missile radar system were crucial for self-defence against North Korea’s growing military arsenal.

Seoul stood firm on starting the talks with Washington over the use of a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) missile system on the Korean Peninsula.

… “Ultimately, by opposing Thaad deployment, Beijing is trying to directly influence South Korea’s strategic choices, and in doing so, weaken the US-Korea alliance,” said assistant professor Michael Raska from the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He noted that Beijing has been “virtually silent” on its ally Pyongyang’s missile threat.