Hillary Clinton claims she built a missile defense system for South Korea, the US and Japan

Posted on : 2016-06-04 14:29 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Remarks conflict with South Korea’s claims that it isn’t participating in trilateral missile defense framework
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton

During an event at which Hillary Clinton unveiled her plan for foreign policy and security policy, she announced that she had built a missile defense system for South Korea, the US and Japan while serving as US Secretary of State. These remarks are likely to provoke controversy since they not only suggest that Clinton will accelerate efforts to set up a US-led trilateral missile defense system if she becomes president but also contradict claims by South Korea’s Defense Ministry that it is not participating in a US-led missile defense system.

“When I was Secretary of State, we worked closely with our allies Japan and South Korea to respond to [the North Korean] threat, including by creating a missile defense system that stands ready to shoot down a North Korean warhead, should its leaders ever be reckless enough to launch one at us,” said Clinton, who delivered the address in San Diego on June 2.

“The technology is ours. Key parts of it are located on Japanese ships. All three countries contributed to it,” she added. The technology she said is located on Japanese ships appears to be a reference to the Aegis system and the SM-3 interceptor.

While Hillary did not specifically mention South Korea’s contribution to this system, she likely had in mind South Korean cooperation based on its information-sharing agreement with Japan and the US.

Hillary also said that “This month, all three of our militaries will run a joint drill to test” the missile defense system.

This makes clear that the South Korean, US and Japanese drills that will take place for the first time as part of the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises at the end of this month are missile defense drills.

Clinton’s remarks are a de facto admission that the US has been hard at work on a trilateral missile defense system with South Korea and Japan during the administration of President Barack Obama. And if Clinton becomes president, she is also likely to push South Korea to incorporate its missile defense system into the US-led missile defense network.

China would regard such a trilateral missile defense system as presenting an unacceptable threat to its own security, and its opposition could disrupt China’s relations not only with the US but also with South Korea.

Clinton’s remarks also differ substantially from statements made by South Korea’s Ministry of Defense. South Korea has previously stated that it is not participating in a US-led missile defense system and that it will build an independent system, known as Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD).

Responding to questions about the first missile defense drills between South Korea, the US and Japan that are part of RIMPAC, the Defense Ministry insisted that they are not actually military defense drills and that they do not constitute participation in a US-led military defense system.

When asked about Clinton’s remarks on Friday, a Defense Ministry official denied that South Korea is participating in a US-led military defense system.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent and Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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