Plans to deploy the THAAD system within this year have angered not only North Korea, but also China and Russia
International outrage is growing about a new North Korean missile test. Pentagon officials say North Korea fired at least one banned ballistic mi…
The U. S. military said in a statement that THAAD is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium range ballistic missiles during the last part of their flights.
The U. S. Pacific Command described the THAAD system as “a strictly defensive capability” that “poses no threat to other countries in the region.” It said in a statement that the deployment “contributes to a layered missile defense system” and enhances defense against missile threats from North Korea.
“Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday’s launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea,” Adm. Harry Harris, head of the U. S. Pacific Command, said in the statement.
Some South Korean liberal presidential candidates have said that the security benefits of having THAAD would be curtailed by worsened relations with neighbors China and Russia.
China’s condemnation of South Korean plans to deploy THAAD has triggered protests against South Korean retail giant, Lotte, which agreed to provide one of its golf courses in southern South Korea as the site of THAAD. The South Korean government also raised worries about a reported ban on Chinese tour groups visiting the country.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and released by Yonhap on March 7, 2017. Picture taken on March 6, 2017.
An official from South Korea’s Defense Ministry, who didn’t want to be named, citing office rules, said that the equipment that arrived in South Korea included launchers, but didn’t confirm how many.
While South Korea’s media speculates that the THAAD deployment could be completed by as early as April, the ministry official couldn’t confirm such reports but said the plan was to have the system operational as soon as possible.
On Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles in an apparent protest against ongoing U. S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The missiles flew about 620 miles on average, three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, according to South Korean and Japanese officials.
In a statement on Monday, the White House said President Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Acting President of South Korea Hwang Kyo-Ahn about North Korea’s launch of ballistic missiles.
“President Trump emphasized the United States’ ironclad commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea,” the statement said. “He emphasized that his Administration is taking steps to further enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea’s ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities.”
North Korea fired ballistic missiles on Monday into waters off its east coast, South Korea’s military said. CBS News‘ Brook Silva-Braga has the l…
The North’s state media on Tuesday said leader Kim Jong Un supervised a ballistic rocket launching drill, a likely reference to the four launches reported by Seoul and Tokyo. Involved in the drills were artillery units tasked with striking “U. S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missiles fired by the North were believed to be “improved versions” of Scud missiles. South Korean experts say North Korea’s extended-range Scuds and mid-range Rodong missiles are capable of hitting Japan, including U. S. military bases in Okinawa.
Kim “ordered the KPA (Korean People’s Army) Strategic Force to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime,” a KCNA dispatch said.
