US reportedly discussing missile defense with S. Korea

The U.S. Defense Department said Thursday (U.S. time) that it is discussing cooperation on missile defense with South Korea.

At a public hearing of the military subcommittee of the U.S. Senate, Bradley Roberts, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary for nuclear and missile defense, said, “We are in discussion with Seoul on bilateral cooperation on missile defense.”

“To enable the South Korean government to make a decision on the utility of the ballistic missile defense program in the future, the two allies recently signed an agreement that allows for analysis of the needs.”

The state-run (South) Korea Institute of Defense Analysis and the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency held a meeting on coping with North Korea’s missile threat Wednesday and Thursday. The two organizations reportedly had held several such meetings.

In September last year, the two sides signed an agreement under which they agreed to start a joint study on the (South) Korea Air Missile Defense system to cope with North Korea’s ballistic missile threat.

The missile defense system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles that fly in through the atmosphere at an altitude of 100 kilometers or lower, such as the North’s Scud missiles. It militarily belongs to a low-altitude defense system.

In comparison, the U.S. missile defense system is centered on a high-altitude defense designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of 5,500 kilometers or longer.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry strongly denied that the joint study by the two think tanks is the first step toward South Korea’s participation in the U.S. missile defense system.

A source in the South Korean military said, "The Korea Air Missile Defense is designed to protect South Korea from North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles and fighter jets that pose a threat to the South, and is different from Washington’s ballistic missile defense that includes protection from the threat of long-range missiles on the U.S. mainland."

Nevertheless, Washington is reportedly pressuring its ally Seoul to participate in the U.S. missile defense plan. Patrick O`Reilly, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, also said at the hearing, “The Missile Defense Agency is conducting missile defense projects, research and analysis with more than 20 countries,” adding, “The Republic of Korea is one of the countries that we are cooperating with.”

Washington could also propose that Seoul participate in principle in the missile defense when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits South Korea Saturday.

The U.S. call on South Korea to join the missile defense system poses a burden to the latter. Washington wants Seoul to join an ultrahigh altitude defense plan that involves intercepting ICBMs lifting off or outside the atmosphere.

If South Korea participates in this plan, massive personnel and budget for technology development are needed.

A government source in Seoul said, “The direct threat to South Korea is not ICBMs but North Korea’s Scud missiles with a range of 300 to 600 kilometers,” adding, “If Seoul participates in the ultrahigh altitude missile defense plan, it could cause the misunderstanding that Seoul considers Beijing an enemy.”

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