"US Should Consider Additional THAAD Deployment in Korea to Counter North Korean Nuclear Threat"

Ukraine's Nuclear Abandonment Report May Accelerate North Korea's Nuclear Missile Development
South Korea Must Enhance Missile Defense Capabilities... Cooperation Among South Korea, US, and Japan Also Needed

(Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency=Yonhap News) North Korea held a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on the evening of the 25th, marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (anti-Japanese guerrilla forces), the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 26th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] As the United States focuses on countering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there are claims that to strengthen its response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, it is necessary to deploy additional THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems in South Korea.

On the 29th (local time), Catherine Katz, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Victor Cha, CSIS Deputy Director, made this argument in an article for the American foreign affairs journal Foreign Affairs. They stated that as the international community concentrates on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has found opportunities and room to conduct missile provocations, which must be prevented.

They said, "It is reasonable for the U.S. to focus on the Ukraine situation, but it must be wary of the accelerating pace of North Korea's nuclear missile technology development," expressing concern that "North Korea could soon complete intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology equipped with nuclear warheads capable of striking the U.S. mainland."

To prevent this, North Korea's nuclear threat should be prioritized in the U.S. national defense strategy. However, this year's strategy prioritizes countering China first, followed by Russia, leaving little strategic space for addressing North Korea.

Therefore, the authors argue that North Korea's nuclear threat should also be placed at the top of the defense strategy. This is necessary not only for defending the U.S. mainland but also to ensure that Asian allies do not doubt the U.S.'s extended nuclear deterrence capabilities.

They pointed to the heightened sense of crisis following the Ukraine situation as the background for North Korea's resumption of virtually all types of missile tests since early this year. They explained that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have provided a pretext for nuclear weapons development under the guise of defending against potential attacks. They said, "North Korea likely judged that declaring denuclearization like Ukraine would make it more vulnerable to invasion," and expressed concern that "while the U.S. focuses on Russia, North Korea could resume nuclear testing within weeks for the first time since 2017."

Nevertheless, they foresee limited options available to the U.S. They pointed out that even if the U.S. attempts sanctions, it is clear that China and Russia will block them at the United Nations (UN) Security Council, making immediate sanctions difficult.

Therefore, to strengthen regional security, they emphasized that South Korea must independently enhance its capabilities to defend against North Korean missiles. In this context, they suggested that, as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol pledged, consideration should be given to additional THAAD deployments to defend Seoul. They also proposed that the South Korean government change its existing stance of not participating in the U.S. missile defense (MD) system and strengthen trilateral missile defense cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

The authors stated, "The U.S. must consistently pursue diplomatic efforts to permanently halt North Korea's missile tests," and pointed out that "with North Korea nearing the technology to penetrate the U.S. missile defense (MD) system, the shift in focus from nuclear weapons to missiles has become even more important." They added, "The U.S. must respond in a tailored manner to North Korea's missile development," warning that "if the U.S. only focuses on China and Russia, it could soon face the highest level of nuclear threat."

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