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Seoul: THAAD can intercept North Korea Musudan missiles

By Elizabeth Shim
South Korea’s defense ministry stated Friday THAAD could intercept incoming North Korea missiles. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
South Korea’s defense ministry stated Friday THAAD could intercept incoming North Korea missiles. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency

SEOUL, June 24 (UPI) -- South Korea is responding to North Korea's recent launches of midrange ballistic missiles, and the solution is increasingly pointing to THAAD, the U.S. anti-missile defense system.

Seoul's Defense Minister Han Min-koo said in a statement issued Friday the deployment of THAAD in South Korea makes it possible to intercept incoming Musudan missiles, local news service News 1 reported.

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According to the defense ministry, the anti-missile defense system is capable of destroying midrange missiles at the "last stage."

South Korea and U.S. officials are weighing their options for THAAD and were considering a number of locations on the peninsula for deployment in early June.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the founding co-leader of the minor opposition People's Party, said his party would cooperate with any government initiative to respond to North Korea provocations, according to Yonhap.

"If a budget is needed to shorten the time of development for response technology, in parliament we'll actively cooperate for the sake of national security," Ahn said, in a bid to reassure the South Korean public about steps going forward.

Both Ahn's party and the major opposition party have previously taken a different approach to Seoul's North Korea policy.

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The Musudan missile demonstrated a certain degree of technical progress on Wednesday. The second projectile flew for several hundred miles, according to Tokyo's defense ministry.

On Friday, a South Korean military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to News 1 said the North Korean improvements include "grid fins" that were placed at the bottom of the missile.

The fins allow the Musudan to improve its stability, the official said.

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