South Korea installs four more US THAAD launchers to counter missile threat from North
Beijing objects to deployment in South Korea of an advanced US missile defence system that has a radar that can see deep into Chinese territory
South Korea and the United States on Thursday completed the deployment of a US missile defence system to counter North Korean threats, sparking demonstrations by residents and a diplomatic protest from Beijing.
South Korea had said already that Pyongyang may be gearing up for another rocket test in the aftermath of its nuclear detonation on Sunday, as it seeks to improve the capacity of its intercontinental ballistic missile programme.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said at a conference in Seoul that North Korea may launch its next missile on Saturday – the anniversary of its founding – adding there wasn’t much time until the regime became a fully nuclear-armed state.
South Korea has said the launchers for the US missile defence system known as THAAD would be installed in the face of the growing threat from Pyongyang. The move has already drawn a rebuke from China, which argued THAAD could upset the regional security balance and be used against its own missile systems.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang restated China’s opposition on Thursday. He said
