Seoul is Considering THAAD Deployment Amid North Korean Threat

Seoul will continue to consider the possible deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) systems in the country amid the threat emanating from Pyongyang, South Korea's Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North had fired two short-range missiles in the direction of the Sea of Japan.

"The root cause of the issue surrounding the possibility of the deployment of the THAAD system in the Republic of Korea is the aggravating threat of North Korean nuclear and missile programs. The Government of the Republic of Korea will continue to review the issue in the context of national security and national interests," the ministry's press service said.

THAAD is a US missile defense system capable of shooting down short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. On March 4, South Korea and the United States started discussing the systems' deployment during talks in Seoul.

Since the beginning of 2016, North Korea has conducted a nuclear test, its fourth to date, and launched a long-range rocket, in defiance of UNSC resolutions.

In July 2015, North Korea said it might boost nuclear deterrent should the United States deploy a mobile missile defense systems in South Korea.