US mulls deploying MD system to SKorea
Iran Press TV
Tue Jun 3, 2014 5:52AM GMT
The United States is considering deploying an advanced missile defense (MD) system in South Korea, the chief of the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday.
'There was consideration being taken whether to consider THAAD being deployed here in Korea. It is the US initiative that I recommended as the commander,' USFK commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti told a forum hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul.
The commander said the consideration on the THAAD deployment is now 'in the very initial stage' and that the final decision will be made after close discussions with South Korea.
The US already conducted a site survey in the Asian country for possible locations for a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, media reports said.
South Korean defense ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok said Seoul 'plans to review the case if the US side makes an official request for cooperation.'
The US says the defense system is aimed at countering the "evolving threats" by North Korea.
'This is very defensive, and this is for the defense of South Korea,' Scaparrotti said when asked if its deployment to the South may be a source of concern in the region particularly for China.
Washington has been pushing Seoul to join its MD system in recent weeks, but Seoul has so far rebuffed the demand as Japan also takes part in it.
Observers believe the US demand is aimed at countering a rising China in the Asia-Pacific region, and not North Korea.
THAAD is designed to shoot down all types of ballistic missiles at a higher altitude in their terminal phase, using a hit-to-kill method.
ARA/ARA
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