THAAD Deployment: US Missile Defense Systems in South Korea Will Go Ahead Under Trump

THAAD deployment of high altitude defensive missiles in South Korea will go ahead “as planned” under new U.S. President Donald Trump amid rising tensions between the U.S., North Korea and China.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday confirmed that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is a go, reported International Business Times.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo came to an agreement regarding the deployment in a 30-minute phone conversation, reported the Korea Herald

The deployment of the U.S. anti-ballistic missile system is expected to counter nuclear threats posed by North Korea, but it could add to tensions with China which views the missile system as a major security risk.

“[Washington and Seoul] agreed on the need to deploy the THAAD system of United States Forces Korea (USFK) as planned and to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and South Korean military defense authorities and enhance the coordination in policy toward North Korea,” said the South Korean ministry, per IBT.

“There is a possibility that the North makes ‘strategic and tactical provocations’ as misjudging the transitional situations of the South and the U.S.,” the statement continued.

During his campaign, Trump suggested that Seoul and Tokyo should make their own nuclear weapons, CNN noted. Trump also said the two countries had two options: either contribute more for their own defense, or expect to receive less protection from the U.S.

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