Senior military officials of South Korea and the US held talks Friday in Seoul on security issues amid growing controversy over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment, according to Yonhap, South Korea's media source
US Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his counterpart Adm. Choi Yun-hee discussed a wide range of issues including the potential challenge posed by North Korea's military forces.
Although the top military officers had underscored earlier that the THAAD system deployment would not be negotiated by the sides, observers stressed that Gen. Dempsey and Adm. Choi Yun-hee could have touched upon the issue "at least in an unofficial fashion," according to Yonhap.
Washington insists that it hopes to deploy the missile defense system in order to counter ballistic missile threat from Pyongyang as well as to ensure the safety of 28,000 American troops stationed on the peninsula. However, both China and North Korea point to the fact that the installation of the THAAD would be aimed against Pyongyang and Beijing and would lead to an escalation of tensions in the region.