The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense THAAD missile defense system of the US is seen at a golf course in Seongju, in the Republic of Korea ROK Sept 7, 2017. KIM JUN-BEOM SEOUL -- The Republic of Korea's ROK presidential office said on Thursday that a US missile defense shield stationed in the country is a means of self-defense.
President Yoon Suk-yeol believes that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence THAAD system is key to countering the DPRK missiles of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He has pledged to abandon the previous government's promises not to increase THAAD deployments, participate in a US-led global missile shield or create a trilateral military alliance involving Japan.
On the campaign trail, conservative Yoon pledged to buy another THAAD battery, but since taking office in May, his government has focused on what officials call normalizing the operation of the existing US-owned and operated system.
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