29-03-2024 10:25 AM Jerusalem Timing

US to Deploy Missiles in S.Korea China, Russia Warn

US to Deploy Missiles in S.Korea China, Russia Warn

The United States is to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea, the two sides said Friday.

The United States is to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea, the two sides said Friday.

The US and South Korea began talks on deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, to the Korean peninsula in February after the North launched a long-range rocket.

South Korea and US flag

"Based on these consultations, the (South) and the US made an alliance decision to deploy THAAD... as a defense measure to ensure the security of the (South) and its people," the allies' defence ministries said in a joint statement.

It did not reveal exactly when and where in the South the system would be deployed, saying the two nations were in the final stages of selecting a potential venue.

China lashed out at the move, which it said would "seriously damage" regional security in northeast Asia, and urged the US and South Korea to reconsider.

The plan to deploy the powerful system, which fires projectiles to smash into enemy missiles, has irritated Beijing and Moscow, which described it as a bid to flex US military muscle in the region.

For its part, Russia warned that the move would have "irreparable consequences", echoing warnings by China.

"The United States, supported by its partners, are continuing to build up the potential of the Asia-Pacific segment of the global anti-missile defense system, which undermines the established strategic balance in the (region) and beyond," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

These actions "most negatively affect global strategic stability," the statement said, following the announcement by the US and South Korea that they would deploy the system to thwart potential attacks from North Korea.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US placed "Supreme Leader" Kim on its sanctions blacklist for the first time, calling him directly responsible for a long list of serious human rights abuses.

Pyongyang lashed out at Washington on Friday, warning North Korea would instantly cut off all diplomatic channels with the US if the sanctions were not lifted.

"This is the worst hostility and an open declaration of war against the DPRK as it has gone far beyond the confrontation over the 'human rights issue,'" the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency.

"Now that the US declared a war on the DPRK, any problem arising in the relations with the US will be handled under the latter's wartime law."