[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Is Additional THAAD Deployment Possible for President-elect Yoon?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] China has issued a warning regarding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. This can be seen as a public warning against President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge to deploy additional THAAD units.

Singh Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, warned President-elect Yoon's camp during the Korea-China Expert Dialogue held on the 7th at the Millennium Hilton in Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "The two syllables 'THAAD' have become a taboo in Korea-China relations, and the two countries must never repeat the same mistake." He added, "Although Korea-China relations, which once reached their worst due to the THAAD issue, have returned to a normal track through joint efforts by both countries, they have not yet completely escaped its shadow."

Earlier, on January 31, President-elect Yoon announced a pledge to spend 1.5 trillion won to independently deploy one additional THAAD battery for the defense of the Seoul metropolitan area in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. At that time, Yoon argued, "Since North Korea often uses high-angle launches when targeting the metropolitan area (with missiles), it is naturally necessary to have THAAD in the metropolitan area."

THAAD can intercept missiles flying at altitudes of 40 to 150 km. The atmosphere extends up to an altitude of 100 km. Currently, the South Korean military can intercept enemy missiles at altitudes around 20 to 40 km using the Patriot PAC-3 and Cheongung-II (M-SAM) systems. It is considered efficient to intercept missiles launched at high angles with THAAD.

However, some within and outside the military argue that if North Korea launches missiles at high angles, they are easier to detect, and North Korea would not necessarily target the Korean Peninsula with expensive missiles. To effectively attack the Korean Peninsula, North Korea would likely launch missiles at low altitudes from the start to evade interception systems.

In May 2019, when North Korea launched missiles including the KN-23, known as the "North Korean Iskander," the peak altitudes were detected at 30 to 60 km. However, when the same missile was launched again in January this year, the altitude was 20 km. This suggests that North Korea deliberately lowered the altitude to evade the Korea-US air defense network.

Some argue that it would be more efficient to fully integrate the operation of THAAD at the Seongju base with the new Patriot (PAC-3 MSE) interceptor missiles. Integrated operation would allow the use of THAAD radar for Patriot missile launches. Currently, the detection range of the Patriot radar is limited to 100 km, but THAAD radar has a wider detection range. The AN/TPY-2 radar can detect targets up to 1800 to 2000 km. Utilizing THAAD radar in the Patriot missile system would enable earlier detection of enemy missiles.

THAAD batteries, composed of launchers, radars, and command and control centers, can have their launchers detached or separate launchers brought into the country to deploy not only at the current Seongju base in North Gyeongsang Province but also in the Seoul metropolitan area, which is considered a "blind spot" in the THAAD defense network. Connecting Patriot radars deployed at various US Forces Korea bases with THAAD launchers would enable defense of the metropolitan area.

The United States already tested the capability to remotely launch interceptor missiles by deploying radars, mobile launch vehicles, and operation control centers in different locations near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific in August last year. It is also reported that remote THAAD launch tests were successfully conducted this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.