{"id":2196613,"date":"2022-06-06T18:35:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T09:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196613"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:19","slug":"weighing-south-koreas-options-for-improving-its-missile-defenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/weighing-south-koreas-options-for-improving-its-missile-defenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Weighing South Korea\u2019s options for improving its missile defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"
Shortly before taking office, new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol released an ambitious 110-point agenda with a surprising omission: It didn\u2019t say anything about Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense batteries, even after Yoon played up the issue throughout his election campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n China\u2019s perceptions of THAAD likely factored into the new president\u2019s decision. After Yoon\u2019s election, China\u2019s Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming <\/span>warned<\/span><\/a> that THAAD is a \u201ctaboo word in China-South Korea relations.\u201d Chinese diplomats have undoubtedly expressed the same sentiment to Yoon in private.<\/span><\/p>\n If Yoon is downplaying THAAD due to concerns about Beijing\u2019s views, he might not be the China hawk he is often made out to be. But Yoon may also be weighing the pros and cons of different ways to boost South Korean missile defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n During his campaign, Yoon suggested that South Korea should <\/span>upgrade<\/span><\/a> its existing THAAD battery, but he later made a <\/span>short Facebook post<\/span><\/a> that simply said \u201cAdditional THAAD deployment.\u201d His adviser Kim Sung-han then clarified that Yoon meant South Korea should <\/span>purchase<\/span><\/a> its own THAAD battery, as opposed to deploying one operated by the U.S. Yoon\u2019s foreign minister nominee Park Jin adopted a <\/span>cautious attitude<\/span><\/a> toward additional THAAD deployments in his confirmation hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n The Yoon administration\u2019s stance on THAAD is thus far from clear, making it worthwhile to examine the implications of the approaches available to him. What\u2019s most important is that the new president chooses an option that improves South Korea\u2019s long-term security, rather than seeking short-term political gain.<\/span><\/p>\n