South Korea is committed to deploying an advanced US missile defence system this year despite opposition from China, a minister said on Wednesday, even as with a different message. Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests \u2013 prompting strong objections from China. \u201cTHAAD deployment is part of our efforts to bolster defence against threats from North Korea,\u201d Defence Minister Han Min-Koo said in a report to the country\u2019s acting president. \u201cThis is not a subject for political considerations,\u201d he told Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, who took over the executive powers of scandal-hit President after she was impeached last month. But the opposition Democratic Party has said they will review the deployment if they win upcoming presidential elections, and a group of their lawmakers flew to Beijing to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other top officials. \u201cThey are going to convey our belief to China that the THAAD issue should be left in the hands of the next president,\u201d the party\u2019s parliamentary floor leader Woo Sang-ho said. Originally set for December 2017, the country\u2019s presidential election may be brought forward if Park\u2019s impeachment is upheld by the Constitutional Court, which has up to six months to decide. The Democratic Party\u2019s presidential hopeful is currently the front runner in the race. Beijing argues THAAD will hurt its security interests and increase the risk of military conflict in the region, and has imposed what have been seen in South Korea as a string of sanctions in retaliation for the development. These include new restrictions on Korean K-pop stars and other celebrities appearing on Chinese TV programmes or performing in the mainland. China also refused to approve chartered flights from South Korea for the Lunar New Year holiday, hitting the lucrative tourism industry. Washington maintains THAAD is no threat to Beijing. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason for China to oppose that system. This is a defensive system. And there\u2019s no reason for anyone in the region to have concern about that, other than, perhaps, North Korea,\u201d Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Tuesday. The proposed missile system has also sparked angry protests from both residents of the areas where it is set to be deployed.<\/p>\n