The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced anti-missile defence system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles , US Pacific Command said, despite angry opposition from China.
The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong -un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike US bases in Japan, stepping up threats against Washington as US troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.
"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in a statement, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system.
In telephone calls on Monday to South Korean and Japanese leaders, President Trump said the United States would stand with its Asian allies and take steps to defend against North Korea’s growing ballistic missile threat.
Mr. Trump emphasized that the United States was taking steps to “enhance our ability to deter and defend against North Korea’s ballistic missiles using the full range of United States military capabilities,” the White House said in a statement.
A C-17 cargo plane landed at the United States military’s Osan Air Base, about 40 miles south of Seoul, on Monday evening, carrying two trucks, each mounted with a Thaad launchpad. More equipment and personnel will start arriving in the coming weeks,
South Korean military officials said.
“South Korea and the United States are doing their best to make the Thaad system operational as soon as possible,” the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the system was necessary “to protect South Korea from the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.”
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