Thaad: US begins deploying missile defence system in South Korea
Source: BBC
Thaad: US begins deploying missile defence system in South Korea
17 minutes ago
From the section Asia
The US says it has begun deploying the first parts of a controversial missile defence system in South Korea. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (Thaad) is designed to protect against threats from North Korea. The move to begin installing the system comes a day after the North launched four ballistic missiles, breaking international sanctions. But the US-South Korean arrangement has angered many on the Korean peninsula and around the region, including China.
South Korean media said operations to install a Thaad battery had begun on Monday, with some parts flown from the US to an air base near Seoul. A statement from the US military confirmed that the "first elements" of the system had been sent to South Korea. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting a military official, said the system could be operational "as early as April".
Chinese foreign spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that China opposed the deployment and would "resolutely take necessary measures to defend our own security interests".
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There is domestic opposition - many South Koreans believe the defence system will itself become a target, endangering people who live around the military sites. Opponents have staged multiple demonstrations.
Internationally, both China and Russia have raised concerns, saying the system could affect the regional security balance. Last year, China's foreign minister said the system went "far beyond" the defence needs of the Korean peninsula. Russia's envoy to Seoul has called it a "direct threat" to national security.
What concerns Beijing is the system's powerful X-band radars that can "reach" far into Chinese territory. The Chinese military worries that these could be used to spot Chinese missile launches and feed the data to cue up other US defensive systems, eg interceptor missiles based in the US, potentially affecting China's deterrent capability.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39188826
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