US THAAD Systems Deployment To South Korea Undermined Regional Strategic Balance - Beijing

US THAAD Systems Deployment to South Korea Undermined Regional Strategic Balance - Beijing

The deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to South Korea has seriously undermined the strategic balance in the region, a white paper on China's national defense revealed on Wednesday

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2019) The deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to South Korea has seriously undermined the strategic balance in the region, a white paper on China's national defense revealed on Wednesday.

"The United States reinforces its alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, expands military presence and intervention in the region, thus complicating the regional security ... the deployment of the US THAAD missile systems to South Korea has seriously undermined the strategic regional balance and strategic security interests of regional countries," the white paper said.

The US THAAD missile systems have been deployed to South Korea under the 2016 Seoul's deal with Washington, citing the potential threat of North Korea's ballistic and nuclear tests. Some international players like Russia and China have expressed their protest over the move over security concerns.

The THAAD system has been designed to intercept ballistic missiles, in particular outside the atmosphere in their terminal phase. The operational range of the system totals 200 kilometers (124 miles).