The U.S. and South Korea have made an alliance decision to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system on the Korean Peninsula amid North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.The Defense Department said Thursday U.S. and South Korea have engaged in consultations since February to discuss the feasibility of using THAAD to protect South Korea and allied military forces from North Korea’s threats.
The South Korea-U.S. joint working group is preparing its recommendation for the defense heads of the two countries regarding the Korean Peninsula site that could support THAAD’s operations and meet environmental, health, and safety requirements.
U.S. Forces Korea will operate the missile defense system to focus solely on North Korea’s launch activities, DoD noted.
The Lockheed Martin-built THAAD system works to intercept short and medium ranged ballistic missiles inside and outside the atmosphere.
