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 North Korea says it put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, but the
United States and its allies see the launch as cover for Pyongyang's
development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to
deliver a nuclear weapon.
Washington sought to reassure its allies South Korea and Japan of
its commitment to their defense after the launch, which followed a
North Korean nuclear test on Jan. 6.
The United States and South Korea said they would begin formal talks
about deploying the sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area
Defense system, or THAAD, to the Korean peninsula "at the earliest
possible date."
South Korea had been reluctant to publicly discuss the possibility
due to worries about upsetting China, its biggest trading partner.
Beijing, at odds with the United States over Washington's reaction
to its building of artificial islands in the disputed South China
Sea, quickly expressed "deep concern" about a system whose radar
could penetrate Chinese territory.
China had made its position clear to Seoul and Washington, the
Foreign Ministry said.
 "When pursuing its own security, one country should not impair
others' security interests," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a
statement.
TIPPING POINT
But the North Korean rocket launch, on top of last month's nuclear
test, could be a "tipping point" for South Korea and win over parts
of Seoul's political establishment that remain wary of such a move,
a U.S. official said.
South Korea and the United States said that if THAAD was deployed to
South Korea, it would be focused only on North Korea.
An editorial in the Global Times, an influential tabloid published
by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's official People's Daily
newspaper, called that assurance "feeble".
"It is widely believed by military experts that once THAAD is
installed, Chinese missiles will be included as its target of
surveillance, which will jeopardize Chinese national security," it
said.
Japan, long concerned about North Korea's ballistic missile program,
has previously said it was considering THAAD to beef up its
defenses. The North Korean rocket on Sunday flew over Japan's
southern Okinawa prefecture.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Monday the
Defense Ministry had no concrete plan to introduce THAAD, but added
the ministry believed new military assets would strengthen the
country's capabilities.
Riki Ellison, founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said
the launch would give Japan momentum to deploy THAAD.
Washington moved one of its five THAAD systems to Guam in 2013
following North Korean threats, and is now studying the possibility
of converting a Hawaii test site for a land-based version of the
shipboard Aegis missile defense system into a combat-ready facility.
EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONED
Some experts questioned how effective THAAD would be against the
type of long-range rocket launched by North Korea and the Pentagon
concedes it has yet to be tested against such a device.
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THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside
or just outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal,
phase of flight. It has so far proven effective against short- and
medium-range ballistic missiles.
John Schilling, a contributor to the Washington-based 38 North
project that monitors North Korea, said THAAD's advanced AN/TPY-2
tracking radar built by Raytheon Co <RTN.N> could provide an early,
precise track on any such missile.
David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the
U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said that while THAAD
could not shoot down the type of rocket launched on Sunday its
deployment could reassure the South Korean public.
"Much of what missile defense programs are about is reassuring
allies and the public," he said.
SUITABLE SITE IDENTIFIED
One U.S. official said the North Korean launch added urgency to
longstanding informal discussions about a possible THAAD deployment
to South Korea. "Speed is the priority," said the official, who
asked not to be named ahead of a formal decision.
Renewed missile-defense discussions with the United States could
also send a message to Beijing that it needs to do more to rein in
North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs,
another U.S. official said.
South Korean officials have already identified a suitable site for
the system, but it could also be placed at a U.S. base on the Korean
peninsula, Ellison said.
THAAD is a system built by Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT.N> that can be
transported by air, sea or land. The Pentagon has ordered two more
batteries from Lockheed.
One of the four THAAD batteries based at Fort Bliss, Texas, is
always ready for deployment overseas, and could be sent to Japan or
South Korea within weeks, Ellison said.
Lockheed referred all questions about a possible THAAD deployment to
the U.S. military.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick in
Washington. Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Tim Kelly
in Tokyo and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Dean Yates and
Lincoln Feast)
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