Korea Joongang Daily:
The U.S. forces commander in the Pacific said in a Senate hearing on Thursday that he favored the deployment of the U.S.-led anti-ballistic missile system in Korea as a response to any potential missile launches by North Korea.
“I think the key is to be ready for all outcomes regarding North Korea from a position of strength,” said Adm. Harry Harris, who leads the U.S. Pacific Command, addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. “That’s why things like ballistic missile defense (BMD) are important, and we strengthen South Korea’s ability in their BMD systems.”
“I personally believe that Thaad on the peninsula is important as well,” he continued, referring to the U.S.-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The Thaad battery is intended to defend South Korea from possible nuclear and missile threats by the North and intercept them. It is designed to shoot down missiles closer to their point of origin than Seoul’s current missile defense system.
“North Korea,” Harris emphasized, “is the greatest threat that I face in the Pacific as the Pacific commander.”
He further pointed to a North Korea that has nuclear weapons and is seeking the means to miniaturize them and deliver them intercontinentally, as well as one that possesses up to 30,000 artillery pieces in range of Seoul on top of several hundred thousand rockets, which he said could affect U.S. troops and South Korean citizens.
On Monday, Pyongyang announced its intention to fire a long-range missile, possibly within the next few weeks, to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the ruling Workers’ Party on Oct. 10.
It said on Tuesday that the country’s plutonium and highly enriched uranium facilities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex had started normal operations and have improved the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities.
The placement of a Thaad battery on the Korean Peninsula has been a controversial issue linked to both regional security and diplomatic tensions, especially because it comes with a radar system that can reach more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
Both China and Russia say it is against their security interests and could possibly be used as a method of surveillance against them.
However, both Seoul and Washington have maintained that there has been no “official” discussion on Thaad’s deployment. South Korean Minister of Defense Han Min-koo said last week that discussion on the Thaad system was not expected to take place in an upcoming bilateral security consultative meeting with the United States in mid-October…
