North Korea rocket launch may spur U.S. missile defense buildup in Asia

The North Korean government announced that it had successfully launched a satellite into orbit on Sunday, an action which is widely believed to have been a cover for a ballistic missile test. Reuters reports that South Korea and the United States have agreed to start formal talks in regards to placing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea to protect against North Korean missile attacks. Japan may be considering a similar move, since North Korea’s rocket flew over the Okinawa prefecture during its flight. However, China is extremely opposed to placing THAAD systems in South Korea, as the radar it uses would allow it to monitor Chinese territory. There are also questions as to how effective THAAD systems would be against the types of missiles that North Korea in developing.