The U.S. Army chief of staff discussed plans to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea to counter threats from North Korea as he met the commander of United States Forces Korea (USFK) here, the military said Thursday.
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North Korea must urgently stop the development of its nuclear program and the saber-rattling moves on the worldwide arena, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday.
Seongju residents chant slogans during a protest against the government’s decision to place a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile defence unit in their town, in Seongju, South Korea, August 15, 2016.
The US and South Korea chose to put the system there after months of increasing tensions with North Korea.
The plan has also angered China and prompted a North Korean warning of retaliation.
President Park Geun-hye defended her decision to deploy a USA -operated missile defense system in an address commemorating the 71st anniversary of Liberation Day on Monday, saying it would protect the Korean people.
Military tensions have been running high on the divided Korean peninsula since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and followed up with a series of missile tests.
South Korea and Japan should build a new future-oriented relationship while squarely looking at history, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday.
On Aug. 3, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern shore.
Milley was due to hold talks with top South Korean military officials in Seoul on Wednesday.
While in Hawaii, Milley is expected to meet with US Pacific Command leaders and visit troops from the 8th Theater Sustainment Command and the 25th Infantry Division.
Campaigners in Seongju, where the first battery of the terminal high-altitude area defence (Thaad) system will be deployed, say the its powerful radar will pose health and environmental hazards and argue that its presence will make them a target.
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“In light of recent North Korean efforts to bolster offensive missile capabilities, it now makes a lot of sense for the South Koreans to consider the potential acquisition of defensive SM-3s to arm their Aegis warships and to boost ballistic missile defense capabilities”, he said.
