Hasty redeployment of US missiles from South Korea to Middle East leaves Seoul rattled

"Early on a spring morning, camouflaged trucks carrying the US-made terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) missile-defence system rolled into Seongju, as the country's government ignored protests from locals who said the deployment would make them a target for Pyongyang's ballistic missiles. The conservative government in Seoul, backed by Washington, insisted that Thaad was the most effective way to locate and destroy North Korean missiles before they threatened the South and the 28,500 US troops stationed there."

"The move, reported this week, has triggered doubts over Donald Trump's security commitment to South Korea the US's most important east Asian ally along with Japan and warnings that the nuclear-armed North could seek to ramp up pressure on its neighbour. Why, critics are asking, did South Korea invest so much political capital in a defence system that could one day be removed?"

"The deployment also angered China and Russia, which said Thaad's powerful radar could compromise their security. But nine years on, the US has reportedly started moving parts of the system, along with other military hardware, out of South Korea for deployment in its war against Iran."

Nearly a decade after the THAAD missile defense system was deployed to the South Korean village of Seongju despite local protests, the US military has begun relocating parts of the system to the Middle East for operations against Iran. The conservative South Korean government, supported by Washington, justified the deployment as essential for countering North Korean ballistic missiles and protecting 28,500 US troops stationed in the country. The system also provoked opposition from China and Russia, citing security concerns about its radar capabilities. The recent redeployment has triggered significant doubts about US commitment to South Korea and warnings that North Korea may escalate pressure on its neighbor. South Korea's liberal president Lee Jae Myung has attempted to reassure the public of the country's ability to maintain deterrence against northern threats despite the US military asset reallocation.

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