Mattis arrives in South Korea to reassure nervous USA ally

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis threatened an “effective and overwhelming” response by the U.S. and its allies if North Korea ever uses nuclear weapons.

The commitment of the United States and South Korea to the THAAD missile defense system is pushing the Korean peninsula to the “brink of a nuclear war”, North Korea said Friday in a report on its official Korea Central News Agency.

Mattis confirmed plans to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system on South Korean soil this year, noting that the deployment would go off “without a hitch”. A USA missile defence system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is also scheduled to be set up in South Korea later this year.

With Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on his way to Seoul for his first global trip since taking office, the U.S. Department of State today cleared $140 million worth of missiles for South Korea’s military.

Mattis, who met South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo earlier in the day, visited Seoul and Tokyo to ease growing concerns about the heavy-handed posturing Trump advocated during his campaign.

The numbers were tallied by the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, which said Beijing’s retaliation was spilling over into other sectors and becoming more aggressive.

What both Japan and South Korea need right now is assurance from the United States that its alliances are a priority.

Independent diplomatic and defense politics have passed away in South Korea.

However, nobody would naively believe it as the THAAD installation implies South Korea becomes part of the USA missile defense networking in Northeast Asia involving the United States and its two allies, the other being Japan.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis has started his first trip overseas by reassuring a key Asian ally of the United States’ continued support.

The North’s leader Kim Jong-Un boasted last month that the country was in the “final stages” of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

And before the defense ministers’ meeting today the Pentagon chief met with South Korea’s Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday as he arrived in Seoul.

Last month, Trump fueled speculation of possible USA military action to pre-empt North Korea’s weapons development.

In addition to offering reassuring comments, Mattis was also expected to focus his talks on readiness and coordination in dealing with North Korea. The two Koreas are still technically at war, but South Korea has become one of the strongest USA allies.

“We’re going to work together to strengthen our alliance”, he said.

During the presidential campaign, Trump called on Japan and South Korea to pay more for a USA military presence that has been a fundamental aspect of US regional strategy for decades. The plan has attracted fierce criticism from China, which claims that it threatens to unbalance regional security.

During the joint military exercises, the United States can reportedly mobilize an aircraft carrier and other strategic assets such as nuclear-capable bombers.