Abstract
Earlier this year, THAAD deployment became a concrete reality in South Korea with the Lotte Group transferring land and with pieces of equipment arriving in South Korea.According to South Korean media,South Korea and the US had mutually agreed to accelerate the process and try to complete THAAD deployment before South Korea’s presidential election in early May.1 THAAD deployment in South Korea is a case of the US leveraging its smart power to provoke tension in East Asia and contain on China,in order to not only materially strengthen strategic reconnaissance and monitoring over China,but also consolidate US alliances and alienate South Korea from China.Although the US is the chief conspirator for deploying THAAD in South Korea,THAAD deployment is largely attributed to ROK factors and would otherwise be impossible without the active conspiracy and assistance by the ROK conservative forces represented by Park Geun-hye administration.
PDF (must purchase access)