South Korean Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday that she will consider sending senior-level delegates to China over the installation of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile defense system.
Kang told a parliamentary confirmation hearing that communications between South Korea and China should be maintained through a variety of channels to narrow differences in how to recognize the THAAD issue.
Since President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10, Kang said, special envoys of South Korea were dispatched to China, while leaders of the two countries held a telephone conversation.
If confirmed, Kang would become the country's first-ever female foreign minister. The top diplomat post does not require the parliamentary approval, though the nominee is required to go through the confirmation hearing.
The FM nominee said the THAAD deployment lacked public discussions and failed to win the public consensus, reiterating the new government's stance that the THAAD installation requires parliamentary discussions.
In her earlier opening remarks, Kang pledged to develop the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership with China by restoring trust and strengthening sincere communications between the two countries.
