You Haitao, deputy commander of the Chinese Army, walks at an international conference in Seoul. [Namgung Jin-ung = timeid@ajunews.com]
At the height of a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over a US missile shield, army chiefs from the two countries held private talks on the sidelines of an international military conference in Seoul.
The 30-minute meeting between South Korea's army chief of staff, Kim Yong-woo, and You Haitao, deputy commander of the Chinese Army, took place when they attended the 10th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC), military officials said. It was closely watched, but there was no official comment.
Senior military officials from 29 countries attended the biennial conference that began on Monday. You, who headed the Chinese delegation, was the first senior Chinese defense official to visit South Korea since the dispute over a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system erupted last year.
The THAAD battery has been a sensitive diplomatic issue among China and other nations around the Korean peninsula. Beijing argues that the missile shield's powerful X-band radar capable of monitoring Chinese troop movements.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
