This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/world/asia/james-mattis-us-korea-thaad.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
In South Korea, Defense Secretary Mattis Tries to Reassure an Ally In South Korea, Defense Secretary Mattis Tries to Reassure an Ally
(about 5 hours later)
SEOUL, South Korea — In his first mission to reassure an important American ally, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in South Korea on Thursday and said he would talk to the country’s leaders about the deployment of a new defense system designed to intercept North Korean missiles. SEOUL, South Korea — On his first mission to reassure an important American ally, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met on Thursday with top South Korean officials, who agreed to push ahead with the deployment of a new missile defense system.
“I will talk to them about Thaad, absolutely,” Mr. Mattis told reporters on his plane, using the acronym for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, the United States antimissile system. “Thaad is for defense of our allies’ people, of our troops who are committed to their defense,” Mr. Mattis told reporters, using the acronym for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, the American antimissile system. It is meant to intercept North Korea’s medium-range missiles.
“It is a defensive system,” he added. “There is only one reason we would have this under discussion right now — that is, North Korea’s activities.” “Were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea, we would have no need for Thaad out here,” Mr. Mattis added. “There is no other nation that needs to be concerned about Thaad.”
South Korea is a logical first stop for Mr. Mattis, who will also visit Japan on his whirlwind trip before returning to Washington. South Korea was a logical first stop for Mr. Mattis, who will also visit Japan on the trip. Tensions have risen in the region after Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, proclaimed during his New Year’s Day address that his military was preparing to conduct its first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Tensions have risen in the region after Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, proclaimed during his New Year’s Day address that his military was preparing to conduct its first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Asian nations have also been concerned about the conflicting signals from President Trump about the United States’ posture in the region. The most recent one was a contentious phone call between Mr. Trump and the Australian prime minister, which was disclosed just as Mr. Mattis began his Asia trip.
But Asian nations have also been concerned about the conflicting signals from President Trump, which has made reassuring allies the first order of business for Mr. Mattis. Mr. Trump mused during his election campaign that the United States could save money if nations like South Korea and Japan developed their own nuclear weapons — comments that ran counter to decades of American nonproliferation policy.
During his campaign, Mr. Trump mused that the United States could save money if nations like South Korea and Japan developed their own nuclear weapons — comments that ran counter to decades of American nonproliferation policy. Mr. Trump said on Twitter last month that North Korea would be prevented from developing the ability to reach the United States with a nuclear weapon. But he did not say whether he was referring to military or diplomatic actions. “It won’t happen,” he tersely declared of a North Korean missile test.
Mr. Trump said on Twitter last month that North Korea would be stopped from developing the capability to reach the United States with a nuclear weapon. But he did not say whether he was referring to taking military or diplomatic steps. “It won’t happen,” he tersely declared of a North Korean missile test. One of Mr. Trump’s first acts as president was to formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which had been an important pillar of the Obama administration’s policy in the region. Critics say the withdrawal by the United States will give China an opportunity to expand its influence.
One of Mr. Trump’s first acts as president was to formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which had been an important pillar of the Obama administration’s trade policy in the region. Critics say the withdrawal by the United States will give China an opportunity to expand its influence. More recently, in a phone call on Saturday, Mr. Trump reassured the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, of the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to Japan’s security, according to a statement from the White House. Mr. Trump made a similar assurance to South Korea on Monday in a call with the country’s acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn.
More recently, Mr. Trump reassured Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan in a phone call on Saturday of the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to his nation’s security, according to a statement from the White House. He made the same assurance on Monday in a call with the acting president of South Korea, Hwang Kyo-ahn. The various messages — some spontaneous, some premeditated — have turned Mr. Mattis’s otherwise traditional statements of support for South Korea and Japan into messages with strategic importance.
The various messages — some spontaneous, some premeditated — have made Mr. Mattis’s otherwise traditional statements of support for South Korea and Japan a message with strategic importance.
“It is a priority for President Trump’s administration to pay attention to the northwest Pacific,” Mr. Mattis said. “I am going to get current by listening to them, finding out where their issues are, and then we are going to work together and strengthen our alliance.”“It is a priority for President Trump’s administration to pay attention to the northwest Pacific,” Mr. Mattis said. “I am going to get current by listening to them, finding out where their issues are, and then we are going to work together and strengthen our alliance.”
Mr. Mattis’s choice to visit South Korea and Japan on his first official trip abroad was seen as a reflection of the new administration’s seriousness in dealing with North Korea’s growing nuclear threat. His trip was also meant to be reassuring for South Koreans, who have become anxious over Mr. Trump’s accusations during his campaign that their nation and Japan were not paying enough for the American military role in their defense. Mr. Mattis met with an array of officials in Seoul, including Mr. Hwang, who is the country’s prime minister as well as serving as acting president during the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye. If she is removed, a new presidential election may be held as early as the spring, so the fraught political situation in South Korea poses a challenge for the United States.
“In less than two weeks since taking office, President Trump has been almost daily issuing executive orders upending not only his predecessor Obama’s policies, but also some of the longstanding American policy lines,” said Go Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, the South Korean capital. “In this context, Secretary Mattis’s trip, which serves to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to its allies, is an unexpected present.” “Mattis is going to meet with people who probably aren’t going to be in office in a few months,” said Joel S. Wit, a Korea expert at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
When Kim Kwan-jin, South Korea’s director of national security, met with Mr. Mattis on Thursday at the presidential Blue House, he called Mr. Mattis’s decision to make South Korea his first official stop abroad “very timely.” The Thaad system is designed to intercept missiles like the Rodong, which is believed to have enough range to reach all of South Korea and some parts of Japan. The United States and South Korea initially said they wanted to deploy the Thaad system by the end of the year, but given the North’s bellicose behavior, there has been some speculation that it may be deployed sooner.
“Secretary Mattis reaffirmed the United States’ firm defense commitment to South Korea, including the provision of extended deterrence, and said that the Trump administration will be treating the North Korean nuclear threat as a top-priority security issue,” Mr. Kim’s office said in a statement. Under its arrangement with Washington, South Korea would provide land and build a base for a Thaad battery, while the United States would pay for the missile system, which would be built by Lockheed Martin, and then cover its operational costs.
The fraught political situation in South Korea — President Park Geun-hye faces an impeachment trial — also poses a challenge, given that a presidential election may be held as early as the spring. During Mr. Mattis’s meeting with Mr. Hwang, the allies confirmed that they would deploy the Thaad system as planned.
“Mattis is going to meet with people who probably aren’t going to be in office in a few months,” said Joel S. Wit, an expert on Korea at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. “Secretary Mattis reaffirmed the United States’ firm defense commitment to South Korea, including the provision of extended deterrence, and said that the Trump administration will be treating the North Korean nuclear threat as a top-priority security issue,” the office of Kim Kwan-jin, South Korea’s director of national security, said in a statement.
Mr. Mattis met with an array of officials, including Mr. Hwang. During that meeting, the allies confirmed that they would deploy the Thaad system as planned. Mindful of the possible early election, crucial opposition leaders in Seoul are opposing the deployment of the Thaad system. They say it would do little to defend South Korea from the North’s plentiful short-range missiles but would anger China, which might retaliate economically. The Chinese have long objected to any deployment of limited missile defenses, out of concern that it would lead to a more comprehensive antimissile shield that could fend off Beijing’s own nuclear missiles.
Mr. Hwang’s office quoted Mr. Mattis as saying that the Trump administration was inheriting a close relationship with South Korea and would continue to strengthen it. Moon Jae-in, an opposition leader who is considered the front-runner among potential presidential candidates, has argued that South Korea should use the Thaad program as diplomatic leverage with China, keeping open the possibility that it would not be deployed if China helped rein in North Korea.
“The United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with South Korea in responding to the threats from North Korea,” it quoted Mr. Mattis as saying.
The Thaad system is designed to intercept missiles like the North Korean Rodong, and the United States and South Korea initially said they wanted to deploy it by the end of the year. Given North Korea’s bellicose behavior, there has been some speculation that the air defense could be deployed sooner.
In his comments to reporters, Mr. Mattis made the case for deploying the system, without detailing how quickly that might happen.
“Thaad is for defense of our allies’ people, of our troops who are committed to their defense,” he said. “Were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea, we would have no need for Thaad out here. There is no other nation that needs to be concerned about Thaad.”
But key opposition leaders mindful of the possible election oppose the deployment, arguing that it would do little to defend South Korea from the North’s plentiful short-range missiles while angering China, which could engage in economic retaliation if the system is deployed.
The Chinese have long objected to the deployment of limited missile defenses, fearing it could be the first step toward a more comprehensive antimissile shield that would have the capability to defend against Beijing’s own nuclear deterrent.
Mr. Hwang has said that the Thaad deployment is “inevitable” given the North’s rapidly growing missile threat, adding that his government was consulting with the United States to deploy the Thaad system “as soon as possible.”
“Thaad is a defense tool whose deployment should not be delayed any more,” he said at a recent news conference. “We are explaining our position in various ways to neighboring countries like China who are concerned about the Thaad deployment.”
Moon Jae-in, an opposition leader who is considered the front-runner among potential presidential candidates, has argued that South Korea should use the Thaad program as diplomatic leverage with China, keeping open the possibility that it would not be deployed if China helps rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. He has said that the Thaad deployment would help create tension between the United States and China and make South Korea’s diplomatic position more complicated.
“Given our standoff with North Korea and its nuclear program, our security and the alliance with the United States are our top priority,” Mr. Moon told reporters recently. “But the best scenario for us is when the U.S. and China get along well. If there is friction between the two, it’s not going to be easy for us.”“Given our standoff with North Korea and its nuclear program, our security and the alliance with the United States are our top priority,” Mr. Moon told reporters recently. “But the best scenario for us is when the U.S. and China get along well. If there is friction between the two, it’s not going to be easy for us.”
Mr. Mattis is not planning a trip to the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. Nor is he planning to meet with South Korea’s political opposition. Mr. Mattis will meet with top American military leaders but is not scheduled to visit with American troops. Mr. Hwang, in contrast, has said that the Thaad deployment is “inevitable” because of the North’s rapidly growing missile threat.
“Thaad is a defense tool whose deployment should not be delayed any more,” he said at a recent news conference. “We are explaining our position in various ways to neighboring countries like China, who are concerned about the Thaad deployment.”