In this May 2, 2017, file photo, a U.S. missile defense system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, is installed on a golf course in Seongju, South Korea. This image made from video of an undated still image broadcasted in a news bulletin on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, by North Korea's KRT shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a missile launcher in North Korea.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Tribune-Star.</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after his Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO: A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system battery was initially deployed in March in the southeastern region of Seongju with just two of its maximum load of six launchers to counter a growing North Korean missile threat.

During his successful campaign for the May 9 presidential election, Moon called for a parliamentary review of the system, the deployment of which infuriated China, North Korea’s lone major ally.

“President Moon said it was very shocking” to hear the four additional launchers had been installed without being reported to the new government or to the public, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told a media briefing.

Moon had campaigned on a more moderate approach to Pyongyang, calling for engagement even as the reclusive state pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and threats of more sanctions.

The Pentagon said it had been “very transparent” with South Korea’s government about THAAD deployment. “We continue to work very closely with the Republic of Korea government and we have been very transparent in all of our actions throughout this process,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told a news briefing.

Separately on Tuesday, the U.S. military cheered a successful, first-ever missile defense test involving a simulated attack by an intercontinental ballistic missile, a major milestone for a program meant to defend the United States against North Korea.

The Missile Defense Agency said it was the first live-fire test against a simulated ICBM for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), a separate system from THAAD, and called it an “incredible accomplishment.” [L1N1IW1MM]

CHINA TENSIONS EASING

Moon’s order of a probe into the THAAD launchers came amid signs of easing tensions between South Korea and China, a major trading partner.

China has been incensed over the THAAD deployment, fearing it could enable the U.S. military to see into its own missile systems and open the door to wider deployment, possibly in Japan and elsewhere, military analysts say.

South Korean companies have faced product boycotts and bans on Chinese tourists visiting South Korea, although China has denied discrimination against them.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s Jeju Air said China had approved a plan for it to double its flights to the Chinese city of Weihai from June 2.

Also, a Korean-Chinese joint drama production “My Goddess, My Mom” starring South Korean actress Lee Da-hae was told by its Chinese partner recently that it will soon be aired, according to Lee’s agent JS Pictures. Previously its broadcast had been indefinitely delayed.

An official at South Korean tour agency Mode Tour told Reuters it hoped China may lift a ban on selling trips to South Korea, which had been in place since March 15, as early as the second week of June. Although there had been no official orders from the Chinese government to lift the ban, a few Chinese travel agencies have sent inquiries about package tours, he said. However, South Korea’s Lotte Group has yet to reopen any of the 74 retail stores in China it was forced to close in March after the group allowed the installation of the THAAD system on land it owned.

BOMBER DRILL

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, has a mutual defence treaty with Seoul dating back to the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce that has left the peninsula in a technical state of war.

South Korea’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had conducted a joint drill with a U.S. supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber on Monday, which North Korea’s state media earlier described as “a nuclear bomb-dropping drill”.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked to Moon by phone on Tuesday and told him that dialogue for dialogue’s sake with North Korea would be meaningless, and that China’s role in exerting pressure on the North was important, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported that leader Kim Jong Un supervised the country’s latest missile test on Monday. It said the missile had a new precision guidance system and a new mobile launch vehicle.

Kim said North Korea would develop more powerful weapons to defend against the United States.

“He expressed the conviction that it would make a greater leap forward in this spirit to send a bigger ‘gift package’ to the Yankees” in retaliation for American military provocation, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.</s>SEOUL South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after the Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday.The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system battery was initially deployed in March in the southeastern region of Seongju with just two of its maximum load of six launchers to counter a growing North Korean missile threat.During his successful campaign for the May 9 presidential election, Moon called for a parliamentary review of the system, whose deployment has also infuriated China, North Korea's lone major ally. "President Moon said it was very shocking" to hear the four additional launchers had been installed without being reported to the new government or to the public, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told a media briefing.Moon had campaigned on a more moderate approach to Pyongyang, calling for engagement even as the reclusive state pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and threats of more sanctions.The U.S. military in South Korea did not have immediate comment on Moon's comments. The South Korean military also did not immediately comment.CHINA TENSIONS EASING

Moon's order of a probe into the THAAD launchers came amid signs of easing tensions between major trading partners South Korea and China. South Korea's Jeju Air said on Tuesday China has approved a plan to double its flights to the Chinese city of Weihai from June 2.China has been incensed over the THAAD deployment, fearing it could give the U.S. military the capability of seeing into its own missile systems, and could open the door to a wider deployment of the system, possibly in Japan and elsewhere, military analysts say.

China has denied it had discriminated against South Korean companies, which have faced product boycotts and bans on Chinese tourists visiting South Korea. A Korean-Chinese joint drama “My Goddess, My Mom" starring South Korean actress Lee Da-hae, whose broadcast had been indefinitely delayed in China, was told by its Chinese partner recently that it will soon be aired, according to JS Pictures, Lee's agent. An official at South Korean tour agency Mode Tour told Reuters it hoped China may lift a ban on selling trips to South Korea, which had been in place since March 15, as early as the second week of June. Although there have been no official orders from the Chinese government to lift the ban, a few Chinese travel agencies have sent inquiries about package tours, he said. However, Lotte Group has yet to reopen any of the 74 retail stores in China it was forced to close in March after the group allowed South Korea to install the THAAD system on land it owned. BOMBER DRILL

 The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, has a mutual defence treaty with Seoul dating back to the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce that has left the peninsula in a technical state of war.South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had conducted a joint drill with a U.S. supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber on Monday. North Korea's state media had earlier accused the United States of staging "a nuclear bomb dropping drill".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked to Moon by phone on Tuesday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, and both agreed that North Korea's continued provocations were unacceptable.Abe told Moon that dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea would be meaningless, and that China's role in exerting pressure on the North was important.The North's KCNA news agency reported leader Kim Jong Un supervised Monday's test of a missile equipped with a new precision guidance system and an improved pre-launch automated sequence and a new mobile launch vehicle.Kim said North Korea would develop more powerful weapons in multiple phases in accordance with its timetable to defend North Korea against the United States."He expressed the conviction that it would make a greater leap forward in this spirit to send a bigger 'gift package' to the Yankees" in retaliation for American military provocation, KCNA quoted Kim as saying. (Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Hyunjoo Jin, Christine Kim and Suyeong Lee in Seoul and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Nick Macfie)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after the Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after the Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system battery was initially deployed in March in the southeastern region of Seongju with just two of its maximum load of six launchers to counter a growing North Korean missile threat.

During his successful campaign for the May 9 presidential election, Moon called for a parliamentary review of the system, whose deployment has also infuriated China, North Korea's lone major ally.

"President Moon said it was very shocking" to hear the four additional launchers had been installed without being reported to the new government or to the public, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told a media briefing.

Moon had campaigned on a more moderate approach to Pyongyang, calling for engagement even as the reclusive state pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and threats of more sanctions.

The U.S. military in South Korea did not have immediate comment on Moon's comments. The South Korean military also did not immediately comment.

Moon's order of a probe into the THAAD launchers came amid signs of easing tensions between major trading partners South Korea and China.

South Korea's Jeju Air said on Tuesday China has approved a plan to double its flights to the Chinese city of Weihai from June 2.

China has been incensed over the THAAD deployment, fearing it could give the U.S. military the capability of seeing into its own missile systems, and could open the door to a wider deployment of the system, possibly in Japan and elsewhere, military analysts say.

China has denied it had discriminated against South Korean companies, which have faced product boycotts and bans on Chinese tourists visiting South Korea. A Korean-Chinese joint drama “My Goddess, My Mom" starring South Korean actress Lee Da-hae, whose broadcast had been indefinitely delayed in China, was told by its Chinese partner recently that it will soon be aired, according to JS Pictures, Lee's agent. An official at South Korean tour agency Mode Tour told Reuters it hoped China may lift a ban on selling trips to South Korea, which had been in place since March 15, as early as the second week of June. Although there have been no official orders from the Chinese government to lift the ban, a few Chinese travel agencies have sent inquiries about package tours, he said. However, Lotte Group has yet to reopen any of the 74 retail stores in China it was forced to close in March after the group allowed South Korea to install the THAAD system on land it owned.

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, has a mutual defence treaty with Seoul dating back to the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce that has left the peninsula in a technical state of war.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had conducted a joint drill with a U.S. supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber on Monday. North Korea's state media had earlier accused the United States of staging "a nuclear bomb dropping drill".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked to Moon by phone on Tuesday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, and both agreed that North Korea's continued provocations were unacceptable.

Abe told Moon that dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea would be meaningless, and that China's role in exerting pressure on the North was important.

The North's KCNA news agency reported leader Kim Jong Un supervised Monday's test of a missile equipped with a new precision guidance system and an improved pre-launch automated sequence and a new mobile launch vehicle.

Kim said North Korea would develop more powerful weapons in multiple phases in accordance with its timetable to defend North Korea against the United States.

"He expressed the conviction that it would make a greater leap forward in this spirit to send a bigger 'gift package' to the Yankees" in retaliation for American military provocation, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.</s>SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korea's new liberal president is demanding an investigation because he says he wasn't told about the arrival of several additional launchers for a contentious U.S. missile system meant to cope with North Korea's nuclear threats.

Before taking office on May 10, Moon Jae-in vowed to review the THAAD system's deployment, which has infuriated both Pyongyang and Beijing, which considers the system's powerful radar a security threat.

Moon's office said Tuesday that it found that four additional THAAD launchers have arrived in South Korea since the original two launchers were installed in April.

It says the former government's Ministry didn't report the arrival of the additional launchers when it gave Moon a policy briefing after his inauguration.

Seoul said in early May that THAAD was operating.</s>SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after the Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system battery was initially deployed in March in the southeastern region of Seongju with just two of its maximum load of six launchers to counter a growing North Korean missile threat.

During his successful campaign for the May 9 presidential election, Moon called for a parliamentary review of the system, whose deployment has also infuriated China, North Korea's lone major ally.

"President Moon said it was very shocking" to hear the four additional launchers had been installed without being reported to the new government or to the public, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told a media briefing.

Moon had campaigned on a more moderate approach to Pyongyang, calling for engagement even as the reclusive state pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and threats of more sanctions.

The U.S. military in South Korea did not have immediate comment on Moon's comments. The South Korean military also did not immediately comment.

Moon's order of a probe into the THAAD launchers came amid signs of easing tensions between major trading partners South Korea and China.

South Korea's Jeju Air said on Tuesday China has approved a plan to double its flights to the Chinese city of Weihai from June 2.

China has been incensed over the THAAD deployment, fearing it could give the U.S. military the capability of seeing into its own missile systems, and could open the door to a wider deployment of the system, possibly in Japan and elsewhere, military analysts say.

China has denied it had discriminated against South Korean companies, which have faced product boycotts and bans on Chinese tourists visiting South Korea.

A Korean-Chinese joint drama "My Goddess, My Mom" starring South Korean actress Lee Da-hae, whose broadcast had been indefinitely delayed in China, was told by its Chinese partner recently that it will soon be aired, according to JS Pictures, Lee's agent.

An official at South Korean tour agency Mode Tour told Reuters it hoped China may lift a ban on selling trips to South Korea, which had been in place since March 15, as early as the second week of June.

Although there have been no official orders from the Chinese government to lift the ban, a few Chinese travel agencies have sent inquiries about package tours, he said.

However, Lotte Group has yet to reopen any of the 74 retail stores in China it was forced to close in March after the group allowed South Korea to install the THAAD system on land it owned.

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, has a mutual defence treaty with Seoul dating back to the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce that has left the peninsula in a technical state of war.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had conducted a joint drill with a U.S. supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber on Monday. North Korea's state media had earlier accused the United States of staging "a nuclear bomb dropping drill".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked to Moon by phone on Tuesday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, and both agreed that North Korea's continued provocations were unacceptable.

Abe told Moon that dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea would be meaningless, and that China's role in exerting pressure on the North was important.

The North's KCNA news agency reported leader Kim Jong Un supervised Monday's test of a missile equipped with a new precision guidance system and an improved pre-launch automated sequence and a new mobile launch vehicle.

Kim said North Korea would develop more powerful weapons in multiple phases in accordance with its timetable to defend North Korea against the United States.

"He expressed the conviction that it would make a greater leap forward in this spirit to send a bigger 'gift package' to the Yankees" in retaliation for American military provocation, KCNA quoted Kim as saying. (Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Hyunjoo Jin, Christine Kim and Suyeong Lee in Seoul and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Nick Macfie)</s>Calling it a "very shocking" incident, South Korea's new liberal president on Tuesday demanded an investigation into why his office wasn't told by defense officials about the arrival of several additional launchers for a contentious U.S. missile defense system meant to cope with North Korea's nuclear threats.

Before taking office on May 10, Moon Jae-in vowed to review the deployment of a system that has infuriated both North Korea and China, which consider its powerful radar a security threat. Many of Moon's supporters don't want the system, which U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Seoul should pay for.

On Tuesday, senior presidential adviser Yoon Young-chan said in a televised news conference that Moon has discovered that four additional launchers for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system have arrived in South Korea since the original two launchers were installed in April.

Yoon said that senior Defense Ministry officials didn't report the arrival of the additional launchers when it gave Moon's policy advisory committee a policy briefing after Moon's inauguration.

"President Moon said it's 'very shocking' after receiving a report on" the incident from his top security adviser, Yoon said.

Moon is now working with Cabinet members who were appointed by his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office in March over a massive corruption scandal. Moon has nominated some of his own Cabinet members, but they haven't formally taken office. Moon was sworn in as president right after winning a May 9 by-election, and hasn't had the usual two-month transition period.

The Defense Ministry said it would issue a statement in response to Moon's investigation order.

A THAAD battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles, fire control and communication equipment, and a powerful X-band radar officially known as AN/TPY-2. The THAAD system was installed in the southeastern town of Seongju.

It's unclear if Moon would go ahead with his campaign pledge to re-examine the THAAD deployment because an attempt to request the withdrawal of the system's components could severely undermine ties with Washington, Seoul's most important ally, analysts say. The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.

After facing conservative attacks on his security views during the election race, Moon toned down his THAAD criticism, saying the deployment would be inevitable if North Korea continued provocations.

Since Moon's inauguration, North Korea has test-fired three ballistic missiles in an apparent demonstration of its resolve to bolster its nuclear and missile arsenals to deal with what it calls U.S. military threats. Moon has said he will employ both dialogue and pressure to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff.</s>SEOUL, South Korea — Calling it a "very shocking" incident, South Korea's new liberal president on Tuesday demanded an investigation into why his office wasn't told by defense officials about the arrival of several additional launchers for a contentious U.S. missile defense system meant to cope with North Korea's nuclear threats.

Before taking office on May 10, Moon Jae-in vowed to review the deployment of a system that has infuriated both North Korea and China, which consider its powerful radar a security threat. Many of Moon's supporters don't want the system, which U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Seoul should pay for.

On Tuesday, senior presidential adviser Yoon Young-chan said in a televised news conference that Moon has discovered that four additional launchers for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system have arrived in South Korea since the original two launchers were installed in April.

Yoon said that senior Defense Ministry officials didn't report the arrival of the additional launchers when it gave Moon's policy advisory committee a policy briefing after Moon's inauguration.

"President Moon said it's 'very shocking' after receiving a report on" the incident from his top security adviser, Yoon said.

Moon is now working with Cabinet members who were appointed by his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office in March over a massive corruption scandal. Moon has nominated some of his own Cabinet members, but they haven't formally taken office. Moon was sworn in as president right after winning a May 9 by-election, and hasn't had the usual two-month transition period.

The Defense Ministry said it would issue a statement in response to Moon's investigation order.

A THAAD battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles, fire control and communication equipment, and a powerful X-band radar officially known as AN/TPY-2. The THAAD system was installed in the southeastern town of Seongju.

It's unclear if Moon would go ahead with his campaign pledge to re-examine the THAAD deployment because an attempt to request the withdrawal of the system's components could severely undermine ties with Washington, Seoul's most important ally, analysts say. The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.

After facing conservative attacks on his security views during the election race, Moon toned down his THAAD criticism, saying the deployment would be inevitable if North Korea continued provocations.

Since Moon's inauguration, North Korea has test-fired three ballistic missiles in an apparent demonstration of its resolve to bolster its nuclear and missile arsenals to deal with what it calls U.S. military threats. Moon has said he will employ both dialogue and pressure to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff.</s>Many of Moon’s supporters don’t want THAAD system as US President Donald Trump suggested Seoul should pay for the missile defence system, which is meant to cope with North Korea’s nuclear threat. Photo: Reuters

Seoul: Calling it a “very shocking” incident, South Korea’s new liberal president on Tuesday demanded an investigation into why his office wasn’t told by defence officials about the arrival of several additional launchers for a contentious US missile defence system meant to cope with North Korea’s nuclear threats.

Before taking office on 10 May, Moon Jae-in vowed to review the deployment of a system that has infuriated both North Korea and China, which consider its powerful radar a security threat. Many of Moon’s supporters don’t want the system, which US President Donald Trump suggested Seoul should pay for.

On Tuesday, senior presidential adviser Yoon Young-chan said in a televised news conference that Moon has discovered that four additional launchers for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system have arrived in South Korea since the original two launchers were installed in April.

Yoon said that senior defence ministry officials didn’t report the arrival of the additional launchers when it gave Moon’s policy advisory committee a policy briefing after Moon’s inauguration.

“President Moon said it’s ‘very shocking’ after receiving a report on” the incident from his top security adviser, Yoon said.

Moon is now working with cabinet members who were appointed by his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office in March over a massive corruption scandal. Moon has nominated some of his own cabinet members, but they haven’t formally taken office.

Moon was sworn in as president right after winning a 9 May by-election, and hasn’t had the usual two-month transition period.

The defence ministry said it would issue a statement in response to Moon’s investigation order.

A THAAD battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles, fire control and communication equipment, and a powerful X-band radar officially known as AN/TPY-2. The THAAD system was installed in the southeastern town of Seongju.

It’s unclear if Moon would go ahead with his campaign pledge to re-examine the THAAD deployment because an attempt to request the withdrawal of the system’s components could severely undermine ties with Washington, Seoul’s most important ally, analysts say.

The US stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.

After facing conservative attacks on his security views during the election race, Moon toned down his THAAD criticism, saying the deployment would be inevitable if North Korea continued provocations.

Since Moon’s inauguration, North Korea has test-fired three ballistic missiles in an apparent demonstration of its resolve to bolster its nuclear and missile arsenals to deal with what it calls US military threats. Moon has said he will employ both dialogue and pressure to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff. AP</s>South Korean President Moon Jae-in hasn’t even been in office a month yet, but already, he finds himself in the precarious position of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, or in this case, the United States and North Korea. Moon Jae-In ran his campaign based on a moderate tone that stressed the attempt to engage in peaceful dialogue with their missile-testing happy northern neighbors, and reportedly, he’s perturbed at the United States for adding four more launchers into his country without his direct knowledge. Jae-In has called the actions by the U.S. “very shocking” and has ordered a probe after no one gave him a heads up that such a move was being made on South Korean soil.

Some South Koreans worry that the THAAD system may hinder rather than help because its mere presence could make a handy North Korean target. While the launchers have been placed at old abandoned golf courses in the past, anything that could provoke North Korea to strike first would undoubtedly lead to further back-and-forth strikes and an eventual war, something that no one involved wants to see happen.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, as the name implies, is more about prevention of an attack than anything else. The system seeks out and destroys missiles using kinetic energy, and perhaps more importantly, a very powerful radar. The Chinese, a long-time ally of North Korea and an on-again-off-again partner of the South Koreans, aren’t exactly keen on the United States plugging in the THAAD system and may take it as a sign of aggression, not just one of last-resort world-saving defense. China has previously expressed their displeasure with the U.S. using the THAAD system in South Korea, and this time is sure to be no different. Moon Jae-In has been working hard to mend fences with the Chinese since taking office on May 9th, so anything that displeases China, in turn, is bad for business.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who had campaigned on a parliamentary review of the country's missile defense system, orders an investigation of the anti-missile system after discovering the government was not informed when four more U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system launchers had been brought in and installed.