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(Yonhap) |
WASHINGTON — The US missile protection system deployed in South Korea, THAAD, is a purely defensive system that’s solely designed to guard South Korea and its folks in opposition to threats from North Korea, a state division spokesperson stated Monday.
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the division, additionally insisted any name or demand from different international locations to withdraw THAAD can be “inappropriate.”
“THAAD is a prudent and restricted self protection functionality designed to counter a DPRK weapons program,” Patel stated in a telephonic press briefing.
“Criticism or stress on the ROK to desert its self-defense is inappropriate,” he added, referring to South Korea by its official identify, the Republic of Korea.
His remarks come after South Korea introduced that the nation has fashioned a consultative physique to evaluate the environmental impression of the US THAAD system deployed in Seongju, positioned some 300 kilometers south of Seoul, a transfer that Seoul officers stated will assist “normalize” the operation of the THAAD system.
South Korea determined to host the US missile protection system in 2016 on the top of North Korean nuclear and missile provocations, however the system has been working in a standing of “short-term set up” pending an environmental impression evaluation.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which got here into workplace in Could, has additionally hinted at the potential of deploying further THAAD models in South Korea following a collection of North Korean missile launches this 12 months.
Pyongyang has already launched greater than 30 ballistic missiles this 12 months, which mark the most important variety of ballistic missiles it fired in a 12 months, in response to the US
“The US and the ROK made an alliance resolution to deploy THAAD to the ROK as a purely defensive measure to guard the ROK and its folks from armed assault and to guard alliance navy forces from the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile menace,” stated Patel.
The division spokesperson additionally referred to as on Pyongyang to return to dialogue.
“We’re ready to satisfy with the DPRK with out preconditions and we hope the DPRK will reply positively to our outreach,” he stated.
DPRK stands for the North’s official identify, the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)
