United States and South Korean officials have announced plans to
deploy a
U.S. missile defense system to South Korea. The officials said the deployment is
to answer
North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile
development programs. General Thomas Vandal is the chief of staff for U.S.
Forces in Korea. He and South Korean Deputy Minister of Defense Ryu Je-seung
made the announcement in Seoul. Vandal said the two countries had to defend
themselves from North Korean weapons. He criticized North Korea’s
continued development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass
destruction. The missile system is called THAAD,
short for
Terminal High-Altitude Area
Defense. It can shoot down ballistic
missiles before they hit their targets on the ground.
* deploy = (군대, 무기를) 배치하다; 효율적으로 사용하다/ answer = 대응하다, 대답하다/
ballistic missile = 탄도 미사일/ chief of staff = (군대의) 참모총장/ criticize = 비판[비난]하다/
weapon(s) of mass destruction(WMD) = 대량 살상 무기/ short for ~ = ~의
생략[단축](형)인/ Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense = 전구 고고도(高高度) 지역방어/ shoot down
= ~을 격추하다
On Friday, North Korea criticized the U.S.
and South Korean agreement. China also expressed strong opposition to the planned
deployment and
urged the
U.S. and South Korea to put a
stop to it. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the missile
system is not helpful for keeping peace on the
Korean peninsula. It also said the deployment will harm the security of
countries in the area, including China. In the past, Chinese officials have
raised
concerns that the THAAD radar system could be used to
observe
Chinese territory. The U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement that the
only weapons to be watched will be North Korean weapons. The Russian government
also criticized the planned deployment. It said THAAD will have
“irreparable
consequences” and will
increase
tensions in East Asia. South Korea and the United States
opened talks about THAAD in February. That followed North Korea’s most recent
nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket. U.S.
officials say North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and missile
program in violation
of United Nations sanctions. Last month,
North Korea launched a partially-successful test of a Musudan missile. That
missile flew about 400 kilometers before falling into the sea. But there were
signs the North Korean military had or is close to developing the ability to
reach U.S. bases in Asia and on islands in the Pacific Ocean. North Korea is
believed to have 30 Musudan missiles. The North Koreans also have close to 1,000
other Soviet model missiles. These missiles can reach targets in South Korea and
Japan. American officials have said they believe North Korea has enough
plutonium
to make eight to 12 nuclear
weapons.
* opposition to ~ =
~에 대한 반대/ deployment = (군대, 무기의) 배치, 전개/ urge = (…하도록) 강력히 충고하다[설득하려 하다]/
put[give] a stop to ~ = …을 멈추다, 중지[정지]시키다, 끝내다/ keep peace = 평화를 유지하다/ raise
concerns (over ~; that ~) = (~에 대한) 우려를 제기하다/ observe = 관찰[관측/주시]하다/ irreparable
= [손실・부상 등이] 회복할[바로잡을] 수 없는/ consequence = 결과/ increase tensions (between ~) =
(~사이의) 긴장을 고조시키다/ long-range rocket = 장거리 로켓/ in violation of ~ = ~을 위반하여/
sanctions(주로 pl) = 제재/ plutonium = 플루토늄/ nuclear weapon = 핵무기
US, South Korea to Deploy THAAD Missile Defense - WTS.mp3