Local THAAD will not be incorporated into wider U.S.-led MD system: defense chief

Korea's defense minister said Wednesday that the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system is for self-defense and will not be incorporated into the wider U.S. missile defense system.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo's remarks made at the National Assembly policy review session come after speculations that the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in Korea will invariably lead to the country becoming part of the Washington-led MD system which is seen by some as a move to isolate China. 

Seoul announced on July 8, that it will allow a U.S. THAAD battery to be stationed in the country after months of deliberation.

The Seoul government has persistently said that it has no intention of joining the MD system and that it wants to build up its own "Korea Air and Missile Defense" system to deal with evolving North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

"The government remains committed to not joining the MD shield and this stance has not changed since the Kim Dae-jung administration," the policymaker pointed out. The late president led South Korea until February 2003.

"In line with this policy, Seoul has stepped up efforts to build up KAMD," he said. He made clear that the THAAD to be employed in South Korea will not be sharing information with the wider MD network.

The MD is a sensitive issue because it can alienate neighboring countries such as China and Russia that South Korea wants to maintain good relations with. China, in particular, is Seoul's No.

1 trading partner, and a key player in Seoul's drive to get North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Seoul aims to finish the installation of its locally produced defense systems like its "kill chain" and KAMD by 2020. The kill chain aims to enhance Seoul's capability to detect and destroy North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.

As THAAD is an integral part of the U.S. MD system, China and Russia have seen it as a threat to their security interests if deployed in South Korea. (Yonhap)