South Korea suspends deployment of US antimissile system

TOKYO — South Korea’s newly elected president, Moon Jae-in, has suspended the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system, an apparent concession to China and a significant break with the United States on policy toward North Korea.

In comments to reporters, a senior official from the presidential Blue House in Seoul said Wednesday that the two launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system that had been installed could remain but that four launchers that had yet to be deployed would not be set up until the administration completed an environmental assessment.

Analysts said that as protesters demonstrated against the Thaad installation and South Korean businesses pressured the government to improve relations with China, Moon may have decided that suspending the progress of the missile defense system was politically expedient.

“I think he is trying to find a diplomatic way to slow down the process to placate the business community and placate his political supporters,” said Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor of politics and international studies at International Christian University in Tokyo.