. | . |
US missile system in S.Korea operational soon: US admiral by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) April 26, 2017
A missile defense system that the United States has begun installing in South Korea will be operational in the coming days, a top American admiral said Wednesday. US troops began delivering the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system for installation on a former golf course in the southern county of Seongju on Wednesday morning. THAAD "will be operational in the coming days and able to better defend South Korea against the growing North Korean threat," Admiral Harry Harris, who heads Pacific Command, told lawmakers. Harris also said the US military is weighing whether it needs to install new missile interceptors on Hawaii, which could be one of the first parts of the United States to be in range of a North Korean missile. "I have suggested we put interceptors in Hawaii," he told the House Armed Services Committee. Seoul's defense ministry said earlier Wednesday that the military hoped to secure "operational capability of the THAAD as soon as possible," with a goal of fully installing the batteries by the end of this year. Washington and Seoul agreed to the THAAD deployment in July in the wake of a string of North Korean missile tests. The THAAD deployment has infuriated China, which fears it will weaken its own ballistic capabilities and says it upsets the regional security balance.
US missile defence equipment reaches S.Korea site Washington is urging Beijing -- Pyongyang's sole major ally -- to do more to rein it in, but the Asian giant has reacted with fury to the planned installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The US and ally South Korea say its deployment, agreed last year, is intended to guard against missile threats from the nuclear-armed North. But China fears it will weaken its own ballistic capabilities and says it upsets the regional security balance. TV footage showed large trailers in camouflage paint carrying what appeared to be missile-related equipment entering a former golf course in the southern county of Seongju on Wednesday morning. THAAD "will be operational in the coming days and able to better defend South Korea against the growing North Korean threat," Admiral Harry Harris, who heads Pacific Command, told lawmakers in Washington. Hundreds of residents -- who are concerned over the potential environmental impact -- protested angrily, some clashing with police. More than 10 were injured including three who were hospitalised, activists said. Seoul's defence ministry said Wednesday's move was aimed at "securing operational capability of the THAAD as soon as possible", with a goal of fully installing the batteries by the end of this year. The South is holding a presidential election next month to choose a successor to ousted leader Park Geun-Hye, and Seoul and Washington are pressing ahead with the deployment with some candidates ambivalent over the system -- including front-runner Moon Jae-In, of the left-leaning Democratic Party. His spokesman Park Kwang-On expressed "strong regret" at the delivery, saying it ignored "required procedures". "This move has shut off any room for policy considerations by the next government and it is very improper," he said. Beijing condemned the move, with foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang telling reporters the THAAD deployment "severely undermines China's strategic security interests". "It helps in no way to achieve the denuclearisation of the peninsula and regional peace and stability," he said, adding China would "take necessary measures to safeguard its own interests". Beijing has imposed a host of measures seen as economic retaliation against the South, including a ban on tour groups. Retail conglomerate Lotte, which previously owned the golf course, has also been targeted, with 85 of its 99 stores in China shut down, while South Korea's biggest automaker Hyundai Motor said Wednesday its Chinese sales fell 44 percent last month. - 'Rain of fire' - THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. The latest move comes as tension soars on the Korean peninsula following a series of missile launches by the North and warnings from the administration of US President Donald Trump that military action was an "option on the table". Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the peninsula in a show of force, amid signs the North could be preparing for a sixth nuclear test. In Pyongyang's latest display, leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw the country's largest-ever firing drill to mark the founding anniversary of its military, state-run media said Wednesday. The drill saw more than 300 large-calibre self-propelled guns firing simultaneously and torpedo attacks by submarines, state-run KCNA said, demonstrating North Korea's determination to pour a "merciless rain of fire on the reckless imperialist US and its dirty followers". Seoul held a large annual drill of its own Wednesday, involving some 100 artillery pieces, 90 armoured vehicles and 50 aircraft, as well as 2,000 South Korean and US troops, the defence ministry said. Speaking in Berlin, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged an end to US-South Korean military manoeuvres to calm tensions on the peninsula. The US has long pushed for China to make more efforts to curb Pyongyang's behaviour. But Beijing says it has less sway over its wayward neighbour than Washington believes. Chinese President Xi Jinping called Monday for "restraint" regarding North Korea in a telephone conversation with Trump. US defence leaders and other top officials are to give a classified briefing on North Korea to all senators in an unusual meeting at the White House later Wednesday.
Seoul (AFP) April 26, 2017 US troops began delivering a missile defence system that has infuriated China to a deployment site in South Korea Wednesday, amid heightened tensions over the North's nuclear ambitions. Washington is urging Beijing - Pyongyang's sole major ally - to do more to rein it in, but the Asian giant has reacted with fury to the planned installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD ... read more Related Links Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |