China expels South Korean missionaries amid missile defence tensions

[TomSea]

China expels South Korean missionaries amid missile defence tensions
Beijing believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system of the US military

A church under construction in Wenzhou. China’s Communist party says it protects freedom of religion. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

Reuters

Saturday 11 February 2017 00.43 EST

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

The 32 were based in China’s northeastern Yanji region near the border with North Korea, many of whom had worked there more than a decade, South Korean media has 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.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/11/china-expels-south-korean-missionaries-amid-missile-defence-tensions