AFP, SEOUL: South Korea and the United States were set to open talks Friday on the possible deployment—vehemently opposed by China—of an advanced US missile defence system to counter the growing threat from North Korea.
South Korea’s defence ministry said initial discussions would focus on potential locations, as well as cost-sharing and a timeline for installation of the THAAD system.
The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their final flight phase.
The interceptor missiles carry no warheads,
instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets.
Seoul and Washington announced their intention to begin formal talks on its deployment following Pyongyang’s long-range rocket launch on February 7, which was widely
regarded as a covert ballistic missile test.