By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea is under growing pressure from the United States to join its missile defense (MD) system, despite holding a firm stance against it, after a top U.S. military official called for closer cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo Wednesday to thwart missile threats from North Korea.
"We're encouraging our allies and partners to acquire their own missile defenses and to strengthen regional missile defense cooperation that will result in better performance than individual countries acting alone," Adm. James Winnefeld, vice-chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff, said at the Atlantic Council's global missile-defense conference in Washington.
"We will continue to emphasize the importance of developing regional ballistic missile defense systems."
Citing the North's intercontinental ballistic missiles, Winnefeld said: "Going forward, we (South Korea, Japan and the U.S.) will continue to emphasize the importance of developing regional ballistic missile defense systems."
His remarks come one day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is considering a plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Korea.
The advanced missile-defense system that has a range of 150 kilometers is regarded as an indispensable element of the U.S. missile defense system, along with the SM-3 that can intercept missiles at an altitude of 400-500 kilometers.
However, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it is not aware of the report about the THAAD system and reaffirmed that Korea maintains a position of not joining the U.S.-led MD system.
In October, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Korea would not join the missile defense system, citing need, suitability and budget availability.
"As of now, the South Korean defense ministry is unaware of whether the U.S. is reviewing a plan to send the THAAD battery here," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing.
"We do not consider the introduction of the THAAD system, which is for the upper-tier defense system," different from "our own lower-tier one."
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) also said that it has no knowledge of a possible deployment of the missile defense system.
"When the USFK brings weapons to Korea, it usually notifies the Korean government of its plan in advance, but we have never heard about it," said an USFK official.
The U.S. system is seen as a means to encircle China militarily, and Japan joined the regional defense system in 2005. But, despite alleged pressure from the U.S., Korea has not been reluctant to accept the U.S. calls because China, its No.1 trading partner, has objected strongly to the missile system.
In a recent report by its subcommittee on defense, the U.S. House of Representatives said that South Korea has been mulling the acquisition of the SM-3, advising Seoul to take on U.S. technology for the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), an indigenous missile defense system to be deployed by 2022.
In addition, the U.S. House passed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week which requires the secretary of defense to explore ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation with Korea and Japan on ballistic missile defense, including system integration and more information sharing.
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| The U.S. Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system performed a successful intercept Oct. 5, 2011, scoring simultaneous kills of two targets. / AP-Yonhap |
"We're encouraging our allies and partners to acquire their own missile defenses and to strengthen regional missile defense cooperation that will result in better performance than individual countries acting alone," Adm. James Winnefeld, vice-chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff, said at the Atlantic Council's global missile-defense conference in Washington.
"We will continue to emphasize the importance of developing regional ballistic missile defense systems."
Citing the North's intercontinental ballistic missiles, Winnefeld said: "Going forward, we (South Korea, Japan and the U.S.) will continue to emphasize the importance of developing regional ballistic missile defense systems."
His remarks come one day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is considering a plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Korea.
The advanced missile-defense system that has a range of 150 kilometers is regarded as an indispensable element of the U.S. missile defense system, along with the SM-3 that can intercept missiles at an altitude of 400-500 kilometers.
However, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it is not aware of the report about the THAAD system and reaffirmed that Korea maintains a position of not joining the U.S.-led MD system.
In October, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Korea would not join the missile defense system, citing need, suitability and budget availability.
"As of now, the South Korean defense ministry is unaware of whether the U.S. is reviewing a plan to send the THAAD battery here," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing.
"We do not consider the introduction of the THAAD system, which is for the upper-tier defense system," different from "our own lower-tier one."
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) also said that it has no knowledge of a possible deployment of the missile defense system.
"When the USFK brings weapons to Korea, it usually notifies the Korean government of its plan in advance, but we have never heard about it," said an USFK official.
The U.S. system is seen as a means to encircle China militarily, and Japan joined the regional defense system in 2005. But, despite alleged pressure from the U.S., Korea has not been reluctant to accept the U.S. calls because China, its No.1 trading partner, has objected strongly to the missile system.
In a recent report by its subcommittee on defense, the U.S. House of Representatives said that South Korea has been mulling the acquisition of the SM-3, advising Seoul to take on U.S. technology for the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), an indigenous missile defense system to be deployed by 2022.
In addition, the U.S. House passed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week which requires the secretary of defense to explore ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation with Korea and Japan on ballistic missile defense, including system integration and more information sharing.
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