China has recently tested a new type of guided missile in a north-eastern sea near the Korean peninsula, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, hours after South Korean elections were held amid regional tensions.
However, the statement did not specify when the missile was tested.
The THAAD installation also turned out to be a major sticking point for South Korean voters, as Moon during the build-up to the election pressed the idea that the South had to learn to say "no" to the US, one of its major allies since the end of the Korean War in 1953 that split the peninsula.
The Bohai Sea is a body of water off the coasts of Tianjin municipality, Shandong, Hebei and Liaoning provinces.
The record-high deficit is attributable to a steep decline in Chinese tourists to South Korea, triggered by Beijing's hostile policy in diplomatic retribution for the deployment of USA anti-missile system THAAD.
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This stance coincided with moves by China and ASEAN to draft a framework to negotiate a code of conduct. Murphy said such operations would continue, but declined to say when the next might occur.
The MOD recently released a statement reiterating its opposition to the deployment of the THAAD missile defence system in South Korea, and it is believed this latest missile test was a response.
The THAAD system, which is being installed on a former golf course in the southern county of Seongju, is created to intercept and destroy short-and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.
Last week, US Forces Korea said THAAD was now operational, with the ability to intercept North Korean missiles, prompting Beijing to demand the immediate suspension of the system's deployment.
The Sichuan-based hip-hop group CD Rev released a song about the global conflict, warning South Koreans about the perils of defying China, particularly over THAAD.
It is the place that separates China from the Korean Peninsula. In 2015, China for the first time demonstrated a whole range of long, medium and short range missiles during a military parade. It had caused concern among U.S. defence officials as it reportedly has the ability to blow up aircraft carriers from a distance of about 1,500 km to 1,700km.
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