Russia seriously concerned about U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday voiced "serious concern" over the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system known as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.

"From the very beginning of the discussion of the U.S. deployment, Russia has consistently and constantly pointed out the dangerous and inevitable consequences, calling on our partners to abandon the wrong choice," the ministry said in a statement.

Such actions, whatever the reasons behind them are, will have the most negative impact on global strategic stability, aggravate regional tension and further complicate the solution of complex issues of the Korean Peninsula, including the issue of denuclearization, it said.

"Taking into account the complicated balance of power in the region, we hope that our partners will be able to weigh once again all the circumstances and to avoid ill-considered actions that could result in tragic and irreparable consequences for the situation in Northeast Asia and beyond," the statement said.

Washington and Seoul said in a statement earlier on Friday they had reached an agreement to deploy THAAD in the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) stationed in South Korea to tackle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea nuclear and missile threats.

Russia has repeatedly condemned such plans, saying the system far exceeds South Korea's actual defense needs and its placement would undermine the overall strategic balance. Endi