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| North Korean KN-08 Ballistic Missile (File Photo) |
By Tae-jun Kang
Does South Korea need THAAD to defend against Pyongyang’s missiles?
Seoul has been wrestling with the question of whether to support the deployment of the U.S.-backed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system (THAAD) in South Korea. Given that the main reason for deploying THAAD in South Korea is ostensibly to handle possible future missile attacks from North Korea, it’s worth asking the question: How much should Seoul really worry about North Korean missiles?
When North Korea revealed six new missiles carried by a transporter erector launcher in April 2012, not many believed Pyongyang actually had the ability to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Some even said at that time the missiles North Korea displayed were made out of paper.
However, South Korea and the United States later concluded that some of the missiles might be real ICBMs and named the model “KN-08.” A year later, the hypothetical KN-08 became something that the U.S. needed to worry about. In 2013, North Korea conducted a missile test of Pyongyang’s “Hwasong-13,” a missile that the U.S. believes could reach the American mainland.
Read the full story at The Diplomat