THAAD missile system agitates South Korea-China ties

SEOUL — South Korea’s turn toward the U.S. and Japan in recent months has worsened ties with China. That relationship is now being complicated further by Seoul moving toward the full operation of a missile defense system decried by Beijing.

The country’s defense and environment ministries issued a statement on Wednesday announcing the completion of an environmental impact assessment at the site of the missile-defense system, called Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense, or THAAD. The site is in a rural area of central South Korea.