South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-han, who serves as acting president following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, said Monday that he will push for policy coordination with the new U.S. administration.
Hwang said in a New Year's address that coordination with the United States will be actively pursued in policies to develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance, tackle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear issue and enhance the bilateral ties on trade and economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump took office last weekend, after which the South Korean prime minister said his nation will actively and strategically deal with changes in diplomatic and security environments on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
Hwang also pledged to continue to develop stable relations with neighboring countries and enhance exchanges and cooperation with the international community.
The acting South Korean president stressed the importance of national security, saying efforts to denuclearize the peninsula will be made through the South Korea-U.S. alliance, close cooperation with the international society and comprehensive sanctions against the DPRK.
He said his country is pushing a rapid deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), noting South Korea is talking with the U.S. about the fast installation.
Seoul and Washington agreed in July last year to place the U.S. missile shield in southeastern South Korea by the end of this year.
The unilateral decision triggered strong oppositions from China and Russia as the THAAD's X-band radar can peer into territories of the two countries and break strategic balance in the region.
Hwang described the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats as clear and real ones, saying the THAAD is an essential defense tool, of which the deployment can no longer be delayed.
