SEOUL: Dozens of people were injured in clashes between South Korean protesters and police on Thursday as the US military added more launchers to the high-tech missile-defence system it installed in a southern town to better cope with North Korean threats.

Seoul has hardened its stance against Pyongyang after its torrent of weapons tests, the latest a detonation on Sunday of what North Korea said was a thermonuclear weapon built for missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

The clashes came as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe met in Russia’s Far East and repeated their calls for stronger punishment of North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, including denying the country oil supplies.

The demand contradicted the stance of their host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has dismissed sanctions as a solution.

Putin says he believes President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to defuse tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Its sixth nuclear test on Sunday prompted the United States to speak about a “military response” and South Korea to conduct major military exercises.

Speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s eastern port of Vladivostok, Putin said on Thursday he believes the Trump administration is “willing to resolve the situation.” He said there are “many reasonable people in the current administration” who are experienced and who have dealt with similar crises.

Putin called on all North Korea’s neighbours to show restraint, indicating the bellicose rhetoric and the military drills are only “playing into their hands.”

Moon and Abe in their meeting agreed to cooperate on seeking tougher United Nations sanctions against North Korea and pledged to strengthen efforts to persuade Beijing and Moscow into cutting off oil supplies to the North, said Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s chief press secretary. Putin expressed concern that cutting off oil supplies would hurt regular North Koreans, Yoon said.

“We should not give in to emotions and push Pyongyang into a corner,” Putin said in a news conference after meeting with Moon.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated Beijing’s opposition to South Korea’s deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence System, also known as THAAD. Beijing says the system’s powerful radars will be able to monitor flights and missile launches deep inside northeastern China.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017