Pentagon Chief to Downplay THAAD Missile Deployment During Seoul Visit

The United States will not bring up the issue of the THAAD missile defense system when Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visits South Korea next week.

Washington wants to deploy a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile interceptor battery to the South, where some 28,500 American troops are stationed, but Seoul fears this would antagonize China and Russia, which see the system’s deployment as a threat to their security, Yonhap news agency reported.

In light of such sensitivity, US officials provided no clarifications as to why the issue will not be discussed when Ashton Carter visits Seoul from April 9-11 for his first face-to-face talks with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo.

Seoul is the second leg of his two-nation trip that will also take him to Japan from April 7-9.