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By Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

The Pentagon is discussing the South Korean deployment of a key missile defense system component with Beijing and Moscow in addition to Seoul, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said on Sept. 30.

The comments are raising concerns for many that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system is already a foregone conclusion and preparations are now under way.

Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations on Sept. 30, Robert Work confirmed that the US is “considering sending a THAAD to South Korea.”

“There are other places in the world,” he added.

Work also said the Pentagon was “working with the government of South Korea now to determine if that is the right thing to do.”

“We've emphasized to both China and to Russia that these are not strategic anti-ballistic missiles, they are essentially designed to address regional threats [in Northeast Asia],” he confirmed.

“We continue to work with the Russians and the Chinese to allay any concerns that they have,” he continued.

China and Russia have both objected strongly to the system’s introduction, since the 1,000-km detection range of the THAAD’s X-band radar would leave army base movements in their country plainly visible to the US if the system is deployed in South Korea.

Work’s comments suggest the US has now begun efforts to reassure Beijing and Moscow so it can go ahead with the deployment.

The move is also expected to raise the pressure on Seoul. In the past, the South Korean government has has been ambiguous toward China and Russia’s objections as an excuse to remain noncommittal in official terms.

The Pentagon has long called for introducing the THAAD system to counter the North Korean ballistic missile threat. The issue rose to public attention in June after the Commander in Chief of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, General Curtis Scaparrotti, announced, “We are planning to deploy THAAD in Korea, and I myself made a personal request for it, too.”

Seoul is insisting that it has never requested or discussed the THAAD deployment.

“We have not discussed it with the US Defense Department, nor are we discussing it now,” the Ministry of National Defense said on Oct. 1, on condition of anonymity.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official also confirmed that “nothing has changed in the government’s position.”

“The US would first have to reach a conclusion and make a request before we would consider it,” the official explained on condition of anonymity.

But by simply waiting for the US to decide, Seoul is also inviting criticisms that it is just a passive participant. Deployment of the system, which is of questionable military effectiveness from South Korea’s standpoint, could result in it being drawn into a larger East Asian conflict. And even if China and Russia do go along with the THAAD deployment, strong objections are also expected from North Korea.

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