• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • TP について/About
  • Topics/トピクス
    • Gender/ジェンダー
    • Globalisation/グローバリゼーション
    • Japan and Asia/日本とアジア
    • Japanese/日本語
    • Media/メディア
    • News/ニュース
    • Social Justice/社会正義
    • War and Empire/戦争&支配権力
    • Environment/環境
    • Other Stories/他の記事
  • Links/リンク
  • Contact

TokyoProgressive

Linking Progressives East and West Since 1997

東西のプログレッシブをつなぐ − 1997年設立  |  Linking Progressives East and West Since 1997

Activism Asia: Stop THAAD

April 21, 2017 by tokyoprogressive Leave a Comment

This is the first article in Activism Asia: Stop THAAD

 

No to Missile Defense

On July 7, 2016, the U.S. and South Korean governments announced a joint decision to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in South Korea.

The two governments assert, without serious evidence and contrary to expert opinion, that the THAAD system will protect South Korea from the threat of North Korean missiles. For example, the U.S. Congressional Research Service finds that THAAD is unlikely to shield South Korea since it is designed to counter high altitude missiles, not those that North Korea would likely use against South Korean targets.

Moreover, the decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea, and to continue with last summer’s U.S.-South Korea war games, occurred in spite of offers by North Korea to freeze its nuclear weapons programs if Washington and Seoul would stop the war games. North Korea has since continued testing its ballistic missiles; it conducted its fifth nuclear explosion, September 9, 2016, and continues to pursue its goal of fitting a nuclear warhead on top of an ICBM missile.

The U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea is part of the U.S. “pivot” to the Asia Pacific. It expands the already significant network of U.S. “missile defense” systems encircling China and Russia. These systems give the United States a significant, although fleeting, military advantage in any future confrontation since they give the United States military the potential to neutralize an opponent’s ability to retaliate. The expansion of this network appears to reflect a broader U.S. decision to change its military posture from one of deterrence to that of first strike.

The determination of the US government to use an expanding regional military presence to boost its regional political influence comes at high cost. For example, this strategy intensifies regional military tensions, fuels a new arms race, and increases the possibility of a new war on the Korean peninsula. In doing so, it also undermines the national sovereignty and democratic aspirations of people in other countries, in this instance those in South Korea.

A growing number of South Koreans are fighting to block deployment of the THAAD system in their country. They correctly fear that its deployment will draw their country into an anti-Chinese alliance with the United States and Japan, embolden militaristic and anti-democratic political forces in their own country, and exacerbate tensions between North and South Korea. They also worry about the negative health effects that appear associated with the operation of the THAAD radar system. Also of concern is the cost of the THAAD system–estimated at $1.3 billion, plus an additional $22 million each year for operating and sustainment–will be borne by South Korean and U.S. taxpayers.

Very little is known in the United States about THAAD and the opposition of South Koreans to its deployment in their country, and of recent diplomatic overtures by North Korea to reduce tensions on the peninsula. Yet, its deployment should also be of concern to people in the United States.  We also will suffer if our country again goes to war. And even if the worst is avoided, the continuing development of new and more destructive weapons systems draws precious resources away from needed domestic social programs.

After decades of disastrous military engagements abroad, we need a new approach. We urge the U.S. government to move away from policies that escalate military tension and redraw Cold War-era lines in favor of policies that seek to resolve conflicts, peacefully, through diplomacy and dialogue. Toward that end, we urge the U.S. government to rescind its decision on THAAD deployment in South Korea, and to pursue all possible avenues for reducing tensions on the Korean peninsula by re-engaging in diplomacy with North Korea.

ABOUT

STOP THAAD IN KOREA AND MILITARISM IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC TASK FORCE is a coalition of organizations that are building awareness and helping to grow a movement to stop the deployment of this new missile defense system. The coalition consists of the following organizations:

Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea 

Korea Policy Institute 

Philadelphia Committee for Peace and Justice in Asia 

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space 

Veterans For Peace, National Office

ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Coalition

From http://stopthaad.org/about/

 


Please support our work.

Donations/寄付
kifu

Mailing List

Subscribe/メーリングリスト

http://stopthaad.org/about/

Filed Under: Featured, Korea/韓国, War and Empire/戦争&支配権力 Tagged With: Cheju, Henoko, Jeju, military, Okinawa, Takae, THAAD

Join the Discussion

Comment on this article or respond to others' comments.

You can post below or send to the mailing list at discuss@list.tokyoprogressive.org.

a) Please sign you name at the bottom of your comment, so that we know who wrote it.

b) To prevent spam, comments need to be manually approved.

c) Comments which are insulting, racist, homophobic or submitted in bad faith will not be published.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search the site

Archives

Main Categories (old and most recent)

Alternative News Contributors/投稿者 creative Democracy Now Environment/環境 Featured Gender/ジェンダー Globalisation/グローバリゼーション Jacobin Japan/日本 Japan and Asia/日本とアジア Japanese/日本語 Japan Focus Japan News Korea/韓国 latest latest-j links Media/メディア Mp3 National Security Archive neoliberalism new News/ニュース Other Stories/他の記事 Social Justice/社会正義 Topics Uncategorized Video War and Empire/戦争&支配権力

Search deeper

Abe activities, protests, films, events Afghanistan alternative news Bush class issues and homelessness Environmental research fukushima gaza health care Henoko human rights Iraq Iraq, Afganistan and the War on Terror Iraq and Afghanistan, opposing the wars Israel Japan Korea labor issues Latin America Middle East military North Korea nuclear nuclear waste Obama Okinawa Okinawa Palestine peace protest protest and resistance racism/human rights radiation state crimes Syria Takae Tepco Trump U.S. War world news English ニュース/社会問題 人権 平和、憲法9条

Design and Hosting for Progressives

Donate/寄付

Please support our work. This includes costs involved in producing this news site as well as our free hosting service for activists, teachers and students. Donations/寄付 can be sent to us via PayPal or Donately. You can also click on the buttons below to make a one-time donation.




Work with us

TokyoProgressive
supports and participates in projects of like-minded people and groups directly (technical, editing, design) and not-so directly (financial or moral support). Likewise, we also welcome contributions by readers that are consistent with promoting social justice. If you have a project you would like help with, or if you would like to submit an article, link, or report on a protest activity, please contact us here.

Footer

All opinions are those of the original authors and may not reflect the views of TokyoProgressive. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for by copyright law in several countries. The material on this site is distributed without profit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyleft 1997-present: tokyoprogressive dot org

TokyoProgressive supports and participates in projects of like-minded people and groups directly (technical, editing, design) and not-so directly (financial or moral support). Likewise, we also welcome contributions by readers that are consistent with promoting social justice. If you have a project you would like help with, or if you would like to submit an article, link, or report on a protest activity, please contact us here.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in