South Korea says THAAD missile shield ‘not negotiable’ with China

South Korea has said the possible operation of a controversial American-made missile shield is “not negotiable,” pushing back at China’s efforts to hold President Yoon Suk Yeol to his predecessor’s pledge to freeze its deployment.

Decisions on the deployment of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system was a matter of South Korea’s self-defense, a senior presidential official told reporters Thursday in Seoul. The Yoon administration is accelerating efforts to “normalize” the operation of the U.S. base in the southern city of Seongju that deployed the THAAD system, the official said.