North Korea defied international warnings with a long-range rocket launch Sunday — prompting swift reaction from Washington and Seoul, where officials said they will formalize talks toward deploying an advanced U.S. missile shield to South Korea despite Chinese opposition.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries said in a joint statement that the talks will focus on the viability of moving a Terminal High-Altitude Defense (THAAD) missile deterrence system “at the earliest possible date” to South Korea, where about 30,000 American troops are stationed.
North Korea claimed Sunday’s rocket launch was to put a satellite in orbit. But the U.S.-South Korean statement said the move — along with Pyongyang’s recent test of nuclear weapon — “highlights the serious nuclear, weapons of mass destruction, and ballistic missile threat they pose to the peace and stability of [South Korea] and the entire Asia-Pacific region.”
While talk of deploying a THAAD system to South Korea has gone on for years in Washington and Seoul, U.S. and South Korean officials have long held off on taking action, mainly out of concern that the system’s deployment would outrage China, which is North Korea’s main ally.
With that as a backdrop, The Associated Press reported that Sunday’s rocket was fired from North Korea’s west coast and its path was tracked separately by the United States, Japan and South Korea.
No damage from debris was reported. But at an emergency national security council meeting in Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the firing an “intolerable provocation.”
North Korea, which calls its launches part of a peaceful space program, trumpeted the beauty of the launch’s “fascinating vapor” as the rocket cut through the clear blue sky and said it had successfully put a new observation satellite, the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Shining Star 4, into orbit less than 10 minutes after liftoff.
It vowed more such launches. A U.S. official said it might take days to assess whether the launch was a success.
The firing came about two hours after an eight-day launch window opened Sunday morning. It follows North Korea’s widely disputed claim last month to have tested a hydrogen bomb.
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