美韩将部署萨德反导弹系统

The U.S. and South Korea have announced plans to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense - THAAD - on the Korean peninsula to counter North Korea\'s ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile development programs.

General Thomas Vandal, the chief of staff for U.S. Forces in Korea, and South Korea\'s Deputy Minister of Defense Ryu Je-seung made the formal announcement during a joint briefing in Seoul Friday.

“North Korea\'s continued development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction, in opposition to its commitments to the international community, require our alliance to ensure that we retain the ability defend ourselves in the face of this threat,” said Gen. Vandal.

In February following North Korea\'s last nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket using ballistic missile technology, Washington and Seoul began formal consultations to discuss the feasibility of deploying THAAD.

THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles during their final, or terminal, phase of flight. It has so far proven effective against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

美国驻韩部队参谋长托马斯·梵德尔将军和韩国国防部副部长柳济胜星期五在首尔的一次联合简报会上正式宣布了这一决定。

梵德尔将军说：“朝鲜违反对国际社会的承诺，继续研发弹道导弹和大规模杀伤性武器，我们需要联合起来，确保我们在这样的威胁面前保有捍卫自己的能力。”

今年二月朝鲜再次进行核实验并使用弹道导弹技术发射了一枚远程火箭后，华盛顿和首尔开始正式磋商，讨论部署萨德系统的可行性。

萨德系统的作用是在弹道导弹飞行的最后或终极阶段将其拦截并摧毁。到目前为止，这一系统已被证实对短程和中程弹道导弹有效。