THAAD Missile Defense

THAAD = Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

Südkorea will THAAD implimentieren


Hier tragen wir einige Artikel aus The Hankyoreh zusammen.
Der neue Kriegshafen in Gangjeong auf Chejudo wurde 2016 in Betrieb genommen. Koreansiche und US-Schiffe haben dort "Heimatrecht".
Dazu kam nun im Sommer 2016 die Entscheidung, das amerikansiche THAAD-System in Seungju (North Gyeongsang Province) - anscheinend jedoch kein Schutz für die Hauptstadt Seoul.



Position Statement
No to U.S. Missile Defende in Korea
.... Moreover, the decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea, and to continue with last summer’s U.S.-South Korea war games, occurred in spite of offers by North Korea to freeze its nuclear weapons programs if Washington and Seoul would stop the war games. North Korea has since continued testing its ballistic missiles; it conducted its fifth nuclear explosion, September 9, 2016, and continues to pursue its goal of fitting a nuclear warhead on top of an ICBM missile. ....

White House says it's still moving to deploy THAAD
By Park Soo-jin
11.10.2016
After Koreans signed a petition asking the US to cancel plans to deploy the THAAD antimissile system in South Korea, the White House responded that it “is working [. . .] to deploy this system as soon as feasible.”
The We the People petition platform hosted on the White House website sent an email on Oct. 2 containing this response to people who had signed a petition to “rescind the decision to deploy [the] THAAD antimissile system in South Korea.” ...

US Expert says THAAD can't distinguish between real and decoy warheads
By Park Byong-su
04.10.2016
Theodore Postol, an emeritus professor at MIT and an authority in the area of missile defense, said on Oct. 3 that the THAAD system, which is currently slated to be deployed in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, “lacks the ability to distinguish between real warheads and fake warheads.” This suggests that North Korea could render THAAD helpless by launching decoys during a missile attack. ....

Poll: 56% of South Koreans support THAAD deployment, 31% opposed
By Kim Nam-il
13.08.2016
56% of South Koreans support the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system on the Korean Peninsula, survey results show.
The findings published on Aug. 12 from a regular survey by Gallup Korea also showed 31% opposing the deployment. No major changes were found on opinions regarding China’s importance in peace on the Korean Peninsula.
A poll conducted by Gallup just after the official THAAD deployment announcement on July 8 showed support at 50% and opposition at 32%. ....

THAAD intercepts South Korea's northern dipßlomacy
By Moon Il-hyun
26.07.2016
ow will China respond to South Korea’s impetuous decision to deploy the THAAD antimissile system? This is an issue that is of great interest to the international community, since it has the potential not only to bring qualitative change to South Korea’s relations with China, but also to plunge Northeast Asian affairs into turmoil. ...

THAAD location formally announced, and won't protect the Seoul area
By Park Byong-su
14.07.2016
On July 13, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced that Seongju County in North Gyeongsang Province had been chosen as the site for the THAAD missile defense system. Deploying THAAD in Seongju means Seoul and its suburbs will fall outside of THAAD’s defense range, while most of the key US military installations will fall inside it. This is likely to strengthen suspicions that the real motivation for deploying THAAD is to protect US forces in South Korea. ....

Expert says THAAD needlessly raises tension, hurts security
By YI Yong-in
11.07.2016
After South Korea announced on July 8 the decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, the Hankyoreh’s Washington correspondent conducted an email exchange with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) emeritus professor Theodore Postol. Postol shared his thoughts on the decision, THAAD’s efficacy, and the potential ramifications in the Northeast Asian political and security climate.

After THAAD deployment decision, a backlash from China
By Kim Oi-Hyun
11.07.2016
As soon as the South Korean and US governments announce their plans to deploy the THAAD missile defense system, Chinese President Xi Jinping summons a few of his close associates into his office.
“It wouldn’t be advisable to let our relations with South Korea worsen for much longer. I think the time has come to find a way out,” Xi says. “Look for South Korea’s weak points. There are three keys: a quick fight, a swift conclusion and a complete recovery.” ...

What was behind the rushed announcement of THAAD deployment?
By Park Byong Su
09.07.2016
During the preparations for announcing the decision to deploy the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, the Ministry of Defense dramatically changed its stance in the space of a few days. This is leading to speculation that the Blue House pressured the Ministry to make a rushed decision.
Until a few days ago, the Ministry of Defense had consistently maintained that no decisions had been made about deploying THAAD. ...

THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula opens Pandora's box
The Hankyoreh, Editorial
09.07.2016
South Korea and the United States announced on July 8 that they had decided to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system with United States Forces Korea (USFK). This constitutes a series of strong-arm tactics, as the announcement came only a day after the US government imposed sanctions on Kim Jong-un personally for human rights abuses....

The Facts aboput THAAD missile defense system
By Park Hyun
The South Korean government is pushing deployment of the system while understating its flaws

South Korea Needs THAAD Missile Defense
By Bruce Klingner
11.06.2015
Despite escalating North Korean nuclear and missile threats, South Korea resists implementing a more effective defense of its populace and critical military targets. Seoul refrains from deploying more capable interceptors and linking its network into a more comprehensive and capable allied network. President Park Geun-hye maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” due to Chinese pressure against U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea. Seoul should instead exercise its sovereign right to defend the country and its citizens against the North Korean threat brought on, in part, by Beijing’s unwillingness to confront its belligerent ally....