Experts say a recent attack on the US missile guidance system could be a case of a ‘missile guidance system falling into the wrong hands’ and could put the United States at risk.
The US Central Command warned on Monday that a recent missile attack on a military installation in South Korea has raised concerns the system could fall into the hands of the North Korean government.
“The missile system appears to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Lieutenant Colonel David J. Davis, a former director of the Missile Defense Agency, who is now an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Davis told reporters on Monday, “I would not rule out the possibility that this could happen.”
Davis added that “the US has a huge system of missiles that can be used to strike South Korea.”
South Korea is concerned that the attack on its missile defense system, known as THAAD, may have come from North Korea.
However, the North has insisted it did not target South Korea, and has accused the United Nations of trying to provoke it.
Since the attack, the United Kingdom has announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the attacker.
On Saturday, the US Navy conducted two underwater missile defense tests in the Sea of Japan, but North Korea denied involvement in either.
After the missile attack, Davis said North Korea would be “very careful” to avoid a conflict, but stressed that “any conflict that would come between us is very, very unlikely.”
North Korea has denied any involvement in the attack and accused South Korea of seeking to destabilize the region by raising tensions with its neighbors.
According to the New York Times, the missile was launched at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday at a range of about 4,500 kilometres.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, called the missile a “powerful and aggressive” one and said it was aimed at the U.S. military and its headquarters in Seoul.
At the time, the military was preparing for a test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching the continental United States.
In a statement, South Korea’s military said its army would take full responsibility for protecting the South Korean government and the nation’s sovereignty, as well as the defense of the people of South Korea.
“We will make no mistakes in this case,” the military said.
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