Reuters:
South Korea said on Friday the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system to counter the growing threat from North Korea would not be discussed when defense chiefs meet at an Asian security forum at the weekend.
The United States and South Korea began talks on deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket a month later.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said en route to the Shangri-La Dialogue, a three-day Asian security meeting being held in Singapore from Friday, that recent North Korean missile tests showed the need for improved missile defenses, even though the latest test launch on Tuesday was a failure.
“There is no plan for discussions on THAAD at the Shangri-La Dialogue,” a South Korean defense ministry official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said separate talks on the missile defense system were continuing between South Korea and the United States.
“When the issues are coordinated, there will be an announcement,” the official said, without indicating when that might be.
