The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, anti-missile system will be used only as protection against North Korea’s growing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, South Korea’s Defence Ministry and the U.S. Defense Department said.
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The missile was sacked from a location near the North Korean coastal town of Sinpo, where analysts have previously detected efforts by the North to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile systems, said an official from Seoul’s Defense Ministry, who didn’t want to be named, citing office rules.
“This is an important… decision”, General Vincent Brooks, commander of USA forces in South Korea, said in a statement. He and South Korean Deputy Minister of Defense Ryu Je-seung made the announcement in Seoul. He criticized North Korea’s continued development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
The missile system is called THAAD, short for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense. The North first claimed a successful submarine-launched missile test in May a year ago.
China urged the United States and South Korea to terminate the deployment of THAAD, and not to take any action which may complicate the regional situation and harm China’s interests.
“The deployment doesn’t help achieve the objective of denuclearisation in the peninsula, doesn’t benefit maintaining peace and stability in the peninsula”, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding, “It’s going toward the opposite direction of solving the problem via dialogue and negotiation”. The radar has the ability to enter its territory, the Chinese government argues.
Despite the protest, China remains concerned about North Korea and is expected to cooperate with the USA and the South on North Korea, he said.
Joel Wit, editor of 38 North, also said that the THAAD decision would inflame tensions.
“While the deployment of THAAD is a necessary measure given the growth of North Korea’s nuclear and missile inventories, this step is only likely to widen the gap between the United States and China over a strategy to deal with the dangers posed by North Korea”, Wit said.
North Korea, which is developing nuclear weapons, is banned by United Nations resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. That missile flew about 400 kilometers before falling into the sea.
North Korea is believed to have 30 Musudan missiles. The North Koreans also have close to 1,000 other Soviet model missiles. These missiles can reach targets in South Korea and Japan.
The U.N. Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the country in response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and the long-range rocket. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English.
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Brian Padden wrote this story for VOA News. Youmi Kim in Seoul and VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb provided additional information.
