Ryu Je-seung, a senior defense ministry official, prepares to announce the site for a US missile shield. [Yonhap Photo]
South Korea and the United States Wednesday announced the site for a US missile shield, risking a diplomatic standoff with China and Russia which have voiced concern about a possible arms race in Northeast Asia.
The announcement came as Beijing and Washington were locked in a tussle over the ruling by an international tribunal on a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system will be deployed in Seongju, a rural town about 220 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of Seoul, the allies said in a joint statement endorsed by their defense chiefs.
Seongju is a geographically "ideal" place to house the US missile shield and intercept North Korean ballistic missiles, the South's defense ministry said, adding the selection reflected military effectiveness and the safety of residents as well.
"That will dramatically enhance the capacity and readiness of guarding important state facilities such as nuclear power plants and oil depots as well as the allied military power of South Korea and the United States," Ryu Je-seung, the ministry's deputy minister for policy, said in a televised news conference.
The THAAD battery in Seongju will be able to guard up to two-thirds of South Korea's territory, he said, adding the capital area would be protected by Patriot medium-altitude missile interceptors.
Some 28,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea under a mutual defense pact dating back to the 1950-53 Korean War. The two Koreas are still technically at war with no peace treaty signed.
Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
