THAAD deployment in South Korea, a new paradigm for Korean defense system
한반도 사드 배치 결정, 한국 무기체계 새로운 패러다임
Seoul and
Washington have confimed that a decision regarding
THAAD deployment has been made .
This means there will be some major security changes for the peninsula.
Our Hwang Ho-jun explains
Korea's current missile defense situation and paints a clearer picture of how THAAD could possibly bring a new paradigm in the nation's defense system.
Ever since North Korea launched the Unha-3 rocket in
2012,
South Korea has been aiming to develop its own indigenous missile defense system -- the
Korea Air Missile Defense system -- by mid 2020s.
This should be a system designed to intercept low-altitude missiles. Seoul is also developing a long range surface area missile or L-SAM that can hit targets at an altitude of 60 kilometers.
Currently in use for South Korea's missile defense is the
PAC-2 missiles.
The
PATRIOT PAC-2 missile defense system is a mobile, low-tier, land-based missile interceptor system, designed to target incoming tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or aircraft by using a blast-fragmentation warhead that sends debris.
The PATRIOT
PAC-3, which the
U.S. forces are currently using in South Korea, is a "guided missile system," a "hit-to-kill" interceptor that destroys incoming ballistic and cruise missiles by direct impact from a medium to high-altitude altitude of 30 kilometers.
Now, THAAD, is capable of intercepting incoming missiles at high-altitudes of up to
150 kilometers.
So in a scenario where North Korea does in fact launches a missile towards South Korea, under the most ideal layered defense system, THAAD will be able to intercept enemy rockets even at altitudes of up 150 kilometers
.
If the interception fails, the L-SAM missiles will follow at a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers.
And if that fails again, the PAC-3 system will be launched to intercept missiles at the maximum altitude of 30 kilometers.
Experts are saying that such multi-layer defense system would be critical when dealing with missile threats from North Korea.
Take a listen.
"When using both the existing
Patriot missiles and THAAD that will be newly deployed, we can effectively defend South Korea against the
North's ballistic missiles. In other words, the synergy between THAAD and the KAMD can definitely consolidate South Korea's missile defense system."
However,
China strongly opposes to the THAAD deployment, mainly because of the system's powerful
RADAR,
... as it can cover not only
North Korean territory, but also
Chinese and
Russian strategic locations, including
Beijing.
Hwang Hojun,
Arirang News
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