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Griffin Lange

English 3 Honors

8 May 2017

South vs North:

South Koreas Retaliation Amongst Nuclear Tension

Sixty-four years ago the Korean War was put to a diplomatic halt by an armistice

signed by both North and South Korea. Tensions, which have been resurfaced through

the Norths recent nuclear testing, have shown the world that this war was never truly

ended. On the birthday of Kim il Sung, or North Koreas most important holiday, North

Korea held a massive parade in Pyongyang that displayed their military might in

celebration. The next day, under their Supreme leader Kim Jong-un, they tested a

medium range ballistic missile that exploded almost immediately after launch. Although

this test was considered a failure, it did not fail in opening South Koreas eyes as to the

growth of the Norths nuclear development, and the increasing pertinence of the threat

located just 30 miles away from their capital city. This called South Korea to action. In

the days following the launch, South Korea sped up the shipment and assembly of a

Thaad, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense unit, which was originally scheduled to

be finished by the end of 2017, but has now been finished on May 2nd. Along with this

development, they have also increased preparation for a punitive strike against the

north in anticipation of another missile test or any other provocative behaviors (North

Korea: Washington and Seoul Pledge Swift Punitive Measures). With these strategic

measures South Korea plans to continue the protection of their people and cease North

Koreas development of ICBMs or intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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The primary defensive strategy put in place by South Korea has largely to do with

the recent implementation of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad.

Originally, South Korea showed interest in the Thaad in 2013, but they did not reveal

until later that they would be receiving a system in late 2017. However, prompted by the

most recent North Korean ballistic missile test, South korea has publicly stressed the

need to speed up the development of the technology as tensions have mounted with

Pyongyang leading to the finished installation of the Thaad falling on May 2nd, 2017

(Anti-missile System in South Korea Operational in Coming days). The Thaad is an

anti ballistic missile system that has been designed to locate, track and intercept short,

medium and intermediate range missiles after they have been launched. Considering

that these are exactly the type of missiles that North Korea has tested up to this point,

the Thaad is an extremely valuable defensive resource.

Though the Thaad is a seemingly perfect fit for South Korean defense, there is

still an utmost amount of controversy surrounding it. From South Korean government

officials- to residents of the neighborhood where it's been placed- there has been an

unfaltering level of backlash against it. In an interview discussing the Thaads placement

at an old golf course located in the seongju region, a resident of the area, when asked

his opinion, responded by saying it is a quiet place being ruined by the arrival of

American weapons that have turned us into a North Korean target (U.S. Moves Missile

Defence to South Korea Site amid Tensions with North). Unfortunately, due to the close

proximity of South Koreas capital city (Seoul) to North Koreas capital city

(Pyongyang),in the event of an attack the whole of Seoul would be available to strike,

and the Thaads capability to intercept missiles does not falter if the missile is aimed
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directly at it, making the town no more a viable target than any other location in Seoul.

Why would North Korea target a small mountain village first when all of Seoul is

available to them?

Along with opposition coming from people affected by the location of the Thaad,

there are those who question its effectiveness as a defensive system. In a Reuters

article by James Pearson, Pearson questions the Souths safety and the Thaads

effectiveness due to the ability of North Korea to accurately launch multiple medium

range ballistic missiles at once. He explains that due to classifications and lack of

utilization in wartime, it is uncertain how the Thaad would fair against an assault

involving multiple missiles. (Even with THAAD defense, North Korea missile barrage

poses threat to South). Although Pearson offers a strong argument, it would only be

effective if the Thaad stood alone. South Koreas line of defense does not only come

from the Thaad. There are also upgraded Patriot and Aegis units that both serve as

interceptors of ballistics missles and when paired with the Thaad, form a three tier line

of defense, or an umbrella that would make short work of North Koreas barrage (How

would missle defense systems work against North Korea?).

Though South Koreas system of defense is incredibly functional and effective, it

is a last resort in the event that North Korea actually launches an assault. Before that is

allowed to happen, South Korea and the U.S. have issued a statement to the North

warning them of the increasing consequences that another ballistic missile test would

bring to them. In a discussion about South Korean diplomatic and military strategy after

the recent bomb test, the South Korean presidents office announced that they had

agreed to swiftly take punitive measures against North Korea if they continued their
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provocative actions, suggesting the possibility of a military assault in the event of

another unauthorized test. This could eventually lead to a cease in their nuclear threats.

(North Korea: Washington and Seoul Pledge Swift Punitive Measures). In another

source discussing a more offensive strategy to stop the Norths development, a

suggestion is made to strike North Koreas potential nuclear launch zones preemptively.

This would not only inhibit the Norths ability to launch multiple missiles at once, but

would also put a hole in their efforts to develop new ballistic technology, and ultimately

put a stop to their development of the ICBMs that would make them a threat to the

entire world (North Koreas dictator challenges Donald Trump).

As the turmoil increases and tensions rise, South Korea and its allies continue to

be cautious while building defenses and preparing for the worst. In a discussion of North

Korean policy Senior minister Cho June-Hyuck says North Korea's repeated

provocations clearly show the nature of Kim Jong Un's regime, irrationality and

maniacally obsessed in its nuclear and ballistic missile development. (North Korean

Missile tests absolutely intolerable). Theres no way of predicting what North Koreas

next move will be, but another nuclear test is probable, and in the event of an attack,

South Korea and the rest of the world are more than prepared.

Works Cited

Euronews. "North Korea Missile Test 'absolutely Intolerable'." Euronews. N.p., 12 Feb.

2017. Web. 08 May 2017.

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Ackerman, Spencer, and Ben Jacobs. "North Korea: Washington and Seoul pledge

'swift punitive measures'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 27 Apr.

2017. Web. 08 May 2017.

Browne, Ryan. "Anti-missile system in South Korea operational in 'coming days'" CNN.

Cable News Network, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 08 May 2017.

McCurry, Justin. "US moves missile defence to South Korea site amid tensions with

North." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Apr. 2017. Web. 08 May

2017.

Pearson, James. "Even with THAAD defense, North Korea missile barrage poses threat

to South." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 May 2017.

Lendon, Brad. "How would missile defense systems work against North Korea?" CNN.

Cable News Network, 07 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 May 2017.

"North Korea's dictator challenges Donald Trump." The Economist. The Economist

Newspaper, 18 Feb. 2017. Web. 08 May 2017.