China has every right to be concerned about THAAD

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. [Photo/Agencies]

Recently, South Korea announced that it will deploy the defensive system THAAD in the country’s south. The South Korean government justified its decision by stating that its objective is protecting its citizens from unexpected future attacks especially from North Korea.

Before venturing into the impact of deploying THAAD upon the relations between the nations in the region specifically and its consequences regarding the world peace generally, here’s a brief introduction of the system.

THAAD is an acronym that stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. Its mechanism is based upon shooting down short and intermediate ballistic missiles before they strike their targets. Using Kinetic energy, the system will destroy the attacking missiles.

It is too obvious that South Korea is suspicious of the intentions of North Korea which possesses such weapons.

The system consists of five fundamental components. The interceptions, using the radar, will detect any incoming missile that attempts to attack the South Korean nation.

With the help of the fire control and support equipment, the launchers will fire projectiles to destroy the attacking missiles.

Due to the fact that the system has no warheads on its missiles, it is potentially safer than colliding with the incoming nuclear missiles. According to nuclear experts, destroying them with the system will not cause nuclear explosion.

The system has been used by the US for several years to protect units in Guam and Hawaii.

The South Korean officials explained the need to deploy the system emphasizing the fact that North Korea, in defiance with the international community, continues to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the South Korean government and its alliances to maintain a viable defense system against aggressive actions from North Korea. They believe that THAAD will accomplish that objective.

Despite statement from the US that the main objective of deploying the system is protecting South Korea from future attacks from North Korea, the project is causing a great deal of controversy.

China and Russia expressed great concern about the impact of deploying the system. They believe that it will lead to militarizing of the peninsula and escalating the already existing tension in the region. They emphasized that the US has a devious motive which is intensifying its presence in South Asia.