South Korea takes control of THAAD missile defense system

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Forces in Korea have officially completed the setup of a THAAD missile battery in South Korea to a South Korean Army air defense brigade.

The transfer of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense site in Seongju was made last week, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday.

THAAD is an anti-missile system designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles in their reentry stage. The THAAD interceptor does so through kinetic energy.

The THAAD battery, with missile launchers, command and control facilities and radar, was deployed from the United States to Korea with The U.S. Army's 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade last April amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

At the time, there were two interceptor launchers stationed in Seongju, a rural county in the Southeast of the country. Four additional launchers were added last month, the report said.

South Korea announced in September that a THAAD battery would be deployed in the county to counter threats from North Korea. The battery has been operational, but the South Korean military unit and the manpower operating it were not fully been in place.

The U.S. and South Korean military said a joint security force is being created to guard the Seongju base.