By Jun Ji-hye
President Park Geun-hye, who took office two years ago today, has received a favorable evaluation in her efforts to maintain a close alliance with the United States and improve South Korea-China relations.
However, whether to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula still remains troublesome as her third year in office begins. The issue is forcing her to walk a tightrope between Seoul’s military ally Washington and No. 1 trading partner Beijing.
The U.S. has consistently expressed its hope to bring its latest ballistic missile interception system to South Korea, stressing that the battery is a defensive measure against missile threats from the North.
But China sees the move as a threat to its security, feeling vulnerable due to the radar system which it believes could potentially snoop on its radar systems.
The issue is now seen as taking a new turn as the U.S. is reportedly seeking to deploy a radar system whose maximum detection range is shorter than that of the system it originally considered deploying.
According to sources Tuesday, Washington initially wanted to bring the X-Band radar with a range of 2,000 kilometers. This was what China has expressed concerns about, citing the possibility that it could monitor the country’s ballistic missiles launches.
But the U.S. has recently moved to change the plan to bring one whose range is about 600 kilometers in an apparent effort to sooth China’s resistance.
Sources noted that the appearance of the two radar systems is the same, but they use different software.
Bringing the radar with a shorter range would support the U.S. emphasis that the primary purpose of the advanced missile interceptor is to defend threats from the isolated North only, and not to keep China in check.
A military official said on the condition of anonymity, “From a common-sense standpoint, Beijing can hardly continue to oppose the deployment, if the maximum range of the radar is just 600 kilometers.”
The Ministry of National Defense maintained that Seoul and Washington have yet to begin discussions about the deployment.
“We have not heard anything from Washington,” a ministry official said asking not to be named.
The THAAD system has a range of 200 kilometers up to an altitude of 150 kilometers, and is designed to detect and intercept missiles during their final, or terminal, phase of flight.
Opinions of national security and foreign affairs experts are still divided on the necessity.
Some say that the deployment will help better deter missile threats from the repressive state and enhance the South’s national security.
Others say the high altitude defense system is ineffective to neutralize ballistic missiles from the North, as the reclusive state is too close to be affected by such a system.
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