'Joint decision': US to deploy missile defense to S. Korea in face of growing N. Korea threat

rt.com

The US will deploy a high-tech antiballistic-missile system to South Korea “as soon as possible” now that the allies have reached an agreement. The advanced air defense shield will beef up Seoul’s arsenal amid growing nuclear and missile threats from the North.

"South Korea and the US have made the joint decision to deploy the THAAD system with US Forces Korea as part of a defensive action to guarantee the security of the Republic of Korea and our people from North Korea's nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile threats," the Ministry of National Defense said on Friday.

THAAD stands for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, an advanced system that is designed to intercept short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase of flight. Equipped with a long-range radar, THAAD is believed to be capable of intercepting Pyongyang’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

"South Korea and the US are working closely together to deploy the THAAD system as soon as possible," the ministry said. The two countries are in the final stages of selecting the site to station the system. According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the system is expected to be in operation by the end of 2017 at the latest.

The agreement between Seoul and Washington ends five months of negotiations that started hours after North Korea claimed to have successfully launched an earth observation satellite into orbit in February. However, on an international level it was widely suspected to have been a potential long-range missile test.