A top United States intelligence official says that NorthKorea has made progress in developing long-rangemissiles. This comes as the possibility of deploying a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea hasgained attention.
James Clapper is the National Intelligence Director for the United States. He recently wrote to the U.S.Congress saying that North Korea has made progressin developing a missile that could reach the U.S.
He said that North Korea has taken steps to test along-range inter-continental ballistic missile, or ICBM.
David Stilwell is an official with the U.S. Department ofDefense. He recently said that the North Koreanmissile threat has created what he calls a “demand” for the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.THAAD is an acronym for Terminal High Altitude AreaDefense.
Shin In-kyun is a security expert with the KoreaDefense Network. He said South Korea is more concerned with short-rangemissile threats, not ICBMs.
The THAAD missile defense system is able to track objects up to 1,000kilometers away. It is designed to stop ballistic missiles at high altitudes.
He said ICBMs cannot attack South Korea due to the limits of the missiles’firing range. He believes that Mr. Clapper’s comments on ICBMs actually expressed concern about a possible cut in the U.S. defense budget.
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A South Korean man watches a TV news program showing the file footage of the missile launch conducted by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, March 13, 2015. |
China and Russia oppose the use of a THAAD system in South Korea. Theysay the system could possibly be used to intercept their missiles. They say this would increase U.S. military capabilities in the area.
Officials in South Korea have avoided any formal declaration on THAAD. They say no official request has come from the U.S. and that no official consultations have been made. They also say South Korea has not decided whether to place a THAAD system on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has not started testing any ICBMs. But experts with the U.S.-Korea Institute say there is photographic evidence that shows rocket enginetesting and construction in North Korea. They say that North Korea may havea functioning ICBM within the next three to five years. But ongoing sanctionsand technical problems could delay development by years or even decades.
North Korea also must complete a number of tests before the ICBM is readyfor use. Shin In-kyun said a missile must go through at least ten firing testsand must pass at least seven. He estimates it will take several more years forNorth Korea to build a working ICBM.
It is not known how close North Korea is to developing a small nuclear devicethat could be used on a ballistic missile. General Curtis Scaparrotti is theCommander of U.S. Forces Korea. Last year, he said he believed NorthKorea has the expertise and ability to build a small nuclear device. SouthKorean Minister of Defense Han Min-koo also said North Korea has madeprogress in its nuclear device technology.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Brian Padden reported this story from Seoul. Jonathan Evans wrote it forLearning English. Mario Ritter edited it.
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Words in this Story
acronym – n. a word formed from the first letters of each one of the words in a phrase
ballistic missile – n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a greatdistance and then falls to the ground and explodes
intercept – v. to stop and take someone or something that is going from one place to another place before that person or thing gets there
sanctions – n. actions taken or orders given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by notallowing economic aid for that country, etc.
