By Jun Ji-hye
The new U.S. government is likely to attempt to deploy more assets of its global missile defense (MD) program on and around the Korean Peninsula in addition to a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, officials here said Tuesday.
Washington is also expected to pressure Seoul to join the U.S.-led MD system, which Japan is already participating in, while improving its weapons systems including missiles that are already stationed in the Asia Pacific region, they noted.
Should this materialize, it could provoke a severe backlash from China, which could trigger a fierce arms race in the region.
President Donald Trump has made it clear that the United States will develop a state-of-the-art MD system to protect against missile-based attacks from countries such as North Korea and Iran.
“President Trump will end the defense sequester and submit a new budget to Congress outlining a plan to rebuild our military,” the White House said on its website on his inauguration day, referring to automatic cuts in defense spending.
Policymakers here are paying keen attention to the fact that Trump specified North Korea when mentioning his plan to advance the MD system amid the North’s mounting missile threats. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in his New Year address that Pyongyang has entered the final stages of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 10,000 kilometers, capable of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.
“It is predictable that the U.S. would ask us to accept more of its advanced MD assets besides THAAD,” said a military official on condition of anonymity. “We are currently analyzing what Trump’s message means exactly to prepare countermeasures.”
Rep. Shim Jae-kwon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, who chairs the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, also noted that there is a possibility that Washington could call on Seoul to expand its cooperation in the MD system in the region.
“The U.S. has been attempting to establish its MD system around the world,” he said. “I think the Trump administration will make greater efforts to do so, and as part of these efforts, Washington could demand Seoul’s participation in it.”
The THAAD system, designed to shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at the end-stage of their flights, is believed to be an integral part of the MD. Since the allies announced in July last year that the battery will be deployed here this year, it was regarded by objectors including China as an attempt by Washington to get its Asian ally to join the MD system to contain their influence in the region.
China believes that THAAD could be used to spy on the country’s missile capability despite Seoul and Washington’s assurance that the system is only designed to defend against the North’s missiles.
The U.S. already operates several MD assets on and around the Korean Peninsula including Aegis destroyers equipped with ship-based Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interception systems.
For its part, there is a growing possibility for the South Korean Navy to import SM-3 or SM-6 ship-to-air missiles from the U.S., according to observers.
In August last year, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks raised the need to pursue surfaced-based-at-sea interceptors to add layers to the defense of South Korea.
Some analysts noted that Trump’s pledge to develop the advanced MD system was aimed not only at better defending against North Korea’s missile threats but also probably at holding China’s growing military capabilities in check.
The ministry stressed the nation does not have a plan to join the U.S. MD but will establish its own Korea air and missile defense system.