THAAD Missile Defense for South Korea Remains Important - US Senator

Providing South Korea with the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) missile system remains critical for deterring an attack from North Korea, US Senator Ben Cardin told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In February, the US Department of Defense said it planned to begin talks with Seoul on deploying a THAAD battery to South Korea to defend the area against the threat of North Korean missiles.

"Giving them the comfort of a more secure defense system is important," Cardin said on Thursday in support of deploying a THAAD battery to South Korea.

Reports of a possible THAAD deployment to South Korea have circulated over recent months, and have been met with harsh criticism from Beijing, which alleges the system threatens China.

On Thursday, North Korea reportedly launched multiple short-range missiles in the direction of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). North Korea also conducted a nuclear weapons test in January and launched multiple long-range rockets in violation of US resolutions.