Missile defence talks continue, but not at Asian forum
SEOUL: South Korea said yesterday the deployment of an advanced US missile defence system to counter the growing threat from North Korea would not be discussed when defence chiefs meet at an Asian security forum at the weekend.
The US and South Korea began talks on deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence ( THAAD) antimissile system after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a longrange rocket a month later.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said en route to the ShangriLa Dialogue, a three- day Asian security meeting being held in Singapore from yesterday, that recent North Korean missile tests showed the need for improved missile defences, even though the latest test launch on Tuesday was a failure.
“There is no plan for discussions on THAAD at the ShangriLa Dialogue,” a South Korean defence ministry official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said separate talks on the missile defence system were continuing between South Korea and the US.
“When the issues are coordinated, there will be an announcement,” the official said, without indicating when that might be.
A senior US defence official said earlier there were still ‘a lot of technical issues to get through’but a public announcement would be made ‘soon’. China and Russia oppose the deployment of THAAD, which operates powerful radar capable of penetrating deep into their territories. South Korea and the US say it is needed in response to the heightened missile threat from North Korea.
Carter waved aside concerns expressed by China that deployment of the THAAD system’s radars on the Korean peninsula could upset the balance of power by reducing the strategic deterrence of China’s ballistic missile system. — Reuters