South Korea President ‘Shocked’ US Deployed More Missile Launchers Without Informing Him

The Pentagon was very eager to make a deal with South Korea’s lame duck government on getting their THAAD missile defense system deployed back in March, before the election of President Moon, an outspoken critic of the deployment,, earlier this month. Moon’s election hasn’t stopped the Pentagon from continuing to build up their deployments, however.

Presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan said that the new president, who wasn’t happy with the two THAAD launchers the US installed right before the election, was “shocked” to learn that since his election, the Pentagon installed four more launchers without telling him, or anyone within the government.

The THAAD anti-missile system is controversial within South Korea, with locals in the area the were deployed concerned it makes them a target in any US war with North Korea. The Pentagon offered no justification for why they didn’t tell anyone about the recent deployments, but insisted they were always “transparent” about their intentions.

Indeed, when they made a deal with the last government to send two launchers, it was specified at the time that the site could support up to six launchers. It should have gone without saying, however, that future deployments would be discussed wiith the hosting nation, instead of them finding out from people at the site that they were just installed some night.