US looking for suitable site for THAAD in S Korea

28 May 2014, 18:12 -- The United States is looking for a suitable deployment site for its Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea, although no ultimate decision has yet been made, the Wall Street Journal reports citing Pentagon sources.

A THAAD system will be deployed in South Korea temporarily until Seoul purchases a missile defense system intended for permanent deployment.

Washington hopes the future system will be a US-made one, the source said.

Cooperation in missile defense will be among the highlights of upcoming debates between US, Japanese and South Korean officials at a security conference in Singapore, scheduled for May 31, with representatives of Lockheed Martin, THAAD's chief manufacturer, also expected to be there.

THAAD's deployment is seen by the US as crucial amid a rising danger from North Korea.

Last year, the Pentagon announced plans to deploy THAAD at its military bases on Guam and Hawaii along with additional maintenance staff of up to 95 servicemen.

Earlier, mass media reported with reference to analysts of Johns Hopkins University that North Korea had tested engines that could be used in KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Signs of increased activity at the Punggye-ri facility suggest that Pyongyang may be gearing up for yet another nuclear weapon test.

Source: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_28/US-looking- for-suitable-site-for-THAAD-in-S-Korea-1547/