S.Korea creates task force in China

South Korea on Saturday announced it has set up a task force through its embassy in China to deal with the apparent boycott of its products in protest against Seoul's deployment of the Thaad anti-missile system.

The group held its first meeting on Friday with the aim of outlining strategies to protect its companies and citizens visiting or living in China, whom Seoul believes could potentially be under threat, Yonhap News Agency reported.

In response, the South Korean embassy in China has set up a task force to advise its companies and citizens in the country against visiting certain crowded areas and entertainment venues.

Beijing has on several occasions warned that bilateral relations will be affected if South Korea decides to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, whose powerful radars could possibly obtain intelligence data from Chinese military bases that fall within range.

South Korea, which in July 2016 agreed to install the US anti-missile system, has claimed it is a defence mechanism to protect itself from possible missile launches from North Korea.

The Thaad system is scheduled to be deployed this year, and comes as an apparent reaction to North Korea's nuclear tests last year.

In an apparent cultural boycott of South Korea, China did not allow any movie from the neighbouring country to be released on its soil last year.

Moreover, K-Pop, a Korean brand of pop music, has disappeared from Chinese television since last year.

--IANS

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