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Korea, U.S. seek to complete THAAD deployment earlier

Posted September. 29, 2016 07:03,   

Updated September. 29, 2016 07:22

한국어

As the South Korean government is set to announce a new site for the planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), officials in Seoul and Washington indicated that the two allies would complete the deployment earlier than originally scheduled.

On July 8, when South Korea's defense ministry announced the deployment plan, it said it aimed to start operating the U.S.-built missile defense system no later than the end of 2017. Defense Minister Han Min-koo also told parliamentary leaders on Aug. 22 that the ministry aimed to complete the deployment by the end of next year.

On Monday, however, Foreign Minister Yoon Byung-se told the National Assembly that Seoul had an "appropriate timing next year" in mind for the deployment, showing a subtle difference. Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, told U.S. Congress on Tuesday (local time) that the United States intends to deploy the THAAD system to South Korea "on an accelerated basis" and "as soon as possible," given that North Korea is speeding up its missile tests. The remarks suggest that the THAAD deployment will likely be completed before South Korea's presidential election next year.

Meanwhile, a South Korean military source said Wednesday that a South Korea-U.S. joint inspection team is working to decide the Lotte Skyhill Seongju Country Club in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, as the site of the deployment and announce the new plan by no later than Friday.



조숭호기자 shcho@donga.com