In conjunction with the approximately 28,500 United States forces in South Korea, Seoul plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017.
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(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon). South Korean firefighters wearing protective gears move during an anti-terror drill as part of Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, at Yoido Subway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.
North Korea on Wednesday test-fired a submarine-launched missile 500 kilometres (around 300 miles) towards Japan, marking what weapons analysts called a clear step forward for its nuclear strike ambitions.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said deployment of a new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea shouldn’t “impair” China’s willingness to exert more pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear belligerence.
But the North has continued to launch ballistic missiles and tensions have mounted.
North Korea has become further isolated after a January nuclear test, its fourth, and the launch of a long-range rocket in February which brought tightened United Nations sanctions. “Those threats are coming closer each moment”.
The researcher said that such increase marks a renewed commitment by both local Chinese officials and businesses to tap into North Korean labor for economic development. Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross also moved to swiftly to underline an “ironclad” USA commitment to South Korean and Japanese security.
“A test-fire of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile was successfully conducted under the guidance of supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Kim Jong Un”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said.
Previous flight distances have not exceeded 30 kilometers, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff statement acknowledged that Wednesday’s test showed a marked improvement.
“The operational zones of the United States mainland and the Pacific are now firmly in our hands”, Kim said, according to state media.
The South Korean Defense Ministry has said the North could be able to deploy a working SLBM within three to four years.
The Korean Central News Agency said Kim believes the test puts North Korea “at the front rank of the military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability”.
According to STRATCOM, one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the other was tracked over North Korea before ultimately landing in the Sea of Japan.
During Kim’s four year reign, Pyongyang has conducted 34 missile tests, more than twice as many as his father Kim Jong-il did in 17 years in office.
In Yun’s separate bilateral talks with Wang that day, the two sides repeated their positions on the deployment of the US -led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, system in South Korea, which Beijing has opposed.
Many outside experts say North Korea doesn’t yet have a functioning long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental USA, but they acknowledge that the North has been making steady progress in its weapons programs and could one day develop such a weapon.
“I hope to coordinate closely in order for Japan, China and South Korea to lead the efforts of the worldwide community”, he said.
“This poses a grave threat to Japan’s security, and is an unforgivable act that damages regional peace and stability markedly”, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, adding that Japan had lodged a stern protest.
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North Korea, which sees the drills as rehearsal for an invasion of its territory, has threatened that the “slightest sign of aggression … would turn the stronghold of provocation into a heap of ashes through Korean-style preemptive nuclear strike”.
