South Korean missile plans likely expulsion trigger

SEOUL: China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries, a Korean government official said on Saturday, amid diplomatic tension between the two countries over the planned deployment of a US missile defence system in the South.

The 32 were based in China’s northeastern Yanji region near the border with North Korea. Many of them had worked there for more than a decade, South Korean media have reported.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Friday it briefed Christian groups on the case of the missionaries, adding that they were expelled in January.

The ministry advised the groups on the importance of complying with the laws and customs of the areas where they work, it said. In South Korea, China is widely believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system of the US military, against the threat of missile attack from North Korea.

China’s Communist Party says it protects freedom of religion, but keeps a tight rein on religious activities and allows only officially recognised religious institutions.

The number of Korean missionaries working in China might top 1000, South Korean media has speculated.

Beijing has objected to the planned deployment, saying it will destabilise the regional balance of security, threaten China’s security and do nothing to ease tension on the Korean peninsula.