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U.S. Begins Installing Missile Defense System in South Korea
The U.S. has begun the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles system:
The US military has started installing a controversial missile defence system at a site in South Korea, amid high tensions over neighbouring North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions. The Thaad system is designed to protect against threats from North Korea.
Hundreds of local residents protested against the deployment, as vehicles carrying equipment arrived at the site in the south of the country. China argues Thaad will destabilise security in the region. The US has in recent days deployed warships and a submarine to the Korean peninsula, amid fears North Korea could be planning further missile or nuclear tests.
Admiral Harry Harris said that the THAAD system would bring Kim Jong-un "to his senses, not to his knees".
FireEye recently claimed that China is attempting to hack South Korean targets to delay the deployment of THAAD.
U.S. Moves Anti-Missile Kit to S. Korea
Reuters reports that the United States has transported components of the THAAD anti-missile system to the site chosen for it in South Korea, amid protests:
[...] and was denounced by the frontrunner in South Korea's presidential election on May 9.
A spokesman for Moon Jae-in said the decision "ignored public opinion and due process" and demanded the deployment be suspended until the next administration was in place and had made its policy decision.
China has expressed opposition to deployment of the system. AFP via Yahoo! reports that:
The South's tourist industry has been hammered by Beijing's boycott over THAAD, with Chinese visitor numbers -- normally more than half the total -- plummeting 40 percent last month even though the ban only came into force on March 15.
Retail conglomerate Lotte -- which provided the Seongju golf course site to the Seoul government -- has also been targeted, with 85 of its 99 stores in China shut down.
Additional coverage:
- Bloomberg
- Korea Herald
- VOA News (U.S. government outlet)
- AFP via inquirer.net
Previous stories:
International Relations Strained over S. Korean Anti-missile Plans
G20 Summit Roundup
South Korea to Receive U.S. Anti-Missile Interceptor System
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2 Original Submission #3
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 27 2017, @08:15PM (4 children)
For a "useless" wall, there sure is a lot of complaining. Why care so much? Considering the country, both the amount of the land and the worst-case cost of the wall are trivial. Mere "billions" are pocket change to a country with many trillions. California alone spends more than the worst-case wall cost EVERY YEAR on helping illegals. We could make California pay, and it would save them money.
You real fear is obvious: you know the wall will work. You want to dilute American culture until it ceases to exist. This is white guilt, English-language guilt, and generally some sort of American guilt. It is self-hatred. The result of bringing in 3rd-world people is a 3rd-world country and you know it: a country is a people, not mere land and laws.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 27 2017, @08:58PM
If you think we need that wall so badly, why don't you head to the border and start building it yourself?
It's so easy for you conservatives to spend other people's money, isn't it?
(Score: 2) by julian on Thursday April 27 2017, @09:07PM (1 child)
A giant statue of a middle finger facing Mexico made out of $20B worth of gold would satisfy your hate-boner just as much as a wall, and would be equally effective stopping immigration.
The wall is a talisman of racial animus. At least the gold middle finger statue wouldn't be devastating to the environment.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday April 28 2017, @10:28AM
At current prices that is 492 tonnes of gold. Do you know how devastating to the environment that much gold mining would be? You would be better off building a wall.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by edIII on Thursday April 27 2017, @09:09PM
It's not going to work you bigoted racist White Nationalist fuckwads!
For the record, I've been proposing an actual goddamn fucking wall for 20 FUCKING YEARS now. Yep, well before Trump, and not entirely in response to immigration.
The key difference between my "wall" and Trump's? It was accompanied by serious immigration reform, amnesty, and much harsher punishments for getting into the country illegally including actual prison time for any American knowingly employing an illegal alien. Those employers will suck dick in prison under my "wall".
I also ditched the quotas, and went to a vetting system where we could choose the people we let into the country based upon the likelihood of them succeeding without subsidization. Amnesty and refugee requests would be treated differently, but those groups of people would be held in special areas to assist them with assimilation. Not destroying their culture, but helping them assimilate to our melting-pot culture where we have a common foundation. Meaning, don't cut your daughter's clitoris off, etc. Although, I'm loathe to let those people into the country in the first place, at all. For that reason; They don't assimilate well. Overall, that only represents a very small portion of the people visiting our country and should not be used as a reason against most of the people seeking to come here. They're decent folk that can contribute our country greatly with their own cultures. Especially the food. Bring your food.
The wall will not work. Why? You fucking morons!!!!!!! You White Nationalists need a training video [youtu.be]. Obviously, the White Nationalist's part is played by the incomparable Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius), and the big bad terrorists and undesirable brown people are played by devilishly humorous Bugs Bunny. Now, take a moment for nappy nappy time, wait for me to get the orange slices ready, and watch the video. Notice anything?
My wall exists in 9 different directions:
- Mexico
- Canada
- Pacific Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean
- Earth's Crust
- Atmospheric
- Space
- Cyberspace
- Transportation Ports (Ships and Airplanes)
If we are serious about creating a damn border worth two shits, then it must address all 9 directions at the same time in a cohesive manner. The wall can no longer be physical without serious ecological damage to both the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. Humans are worthless pieces of violent aggressive shit, but coyotes, hawks, mountain lions, owls, rabbits, insects, etc. are not. We can't make it a literal wall without hurting them, and no, we are not separate from nature. To hurt nature, is to hurt ourselves.
Good news is that there exists plenty of technology to do it without an actual wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy shit!!!
SENSOR GRIDS
Anything not approaching an approved egress or entry point is treated as an enemy of the United States and military forces are dispatched instantly. It's just a matter of response times, but again, we have technology for that.
Mexico/Canada - Drones can be ubiquitous and armed. There exists hover drones capable of 13,000 ft elevation, hundreds of miles per hour of speed, and carrying capacity for two well armed troops or snipers. This is should be applied to ALL borders. I love Canadians, but they will not an exception to the border. Except that one town where the border literally goes through the library. That is going to be one specially protected egress/entry point :)
Atlantic Ocean/Pacific Ocean - The coasts can be protected by the Coast Guard. What a convenient name :) Increase their budget and give them special drones for both air and water.
Transportation Ports (Ships and Airplanes) - Our ports need be drastically upgraded to give us the kind of performance we need, but also the ability to inspect EVERYTHING that comes in. Create 50,000 new jobs if you need to, but stop having piss poor security at our ports. That includes ALL international flight terminals and any terminals created solely for business needs.
Earth's Crust - Can be monitored seismically, or with whatever toys DARPA has come up with. All of those tunnels along the border will be stopped. Especially, if the U.S military drops a M.O.P (deeper cousin of the M.O.A.B) onto one them when it detects underground movement :)
Atmospheric/Space - The. U.S Space Command is currently responsible for space and can handle atmospheric too. Increase their budgets and capacity and task them with the protection of our borders in space. Same deal. All incursions are treated as a military matter unless announced, authorized, and tracked by U.S Space Command.
Cyberspace - This one needs a hell of lot more development, and I sincerely doubt we have the ability to protect ourselves very well for at least another 10 years. The NSA did quite a number to make us weak, and there is serious pushback from the government and corporations to prevent the kind of security environment we desperately need.
See you stupid fuckers? Your little physical wall, mostly designed to pad the coffers of the Owning Classes (including Trump) is just an expensive pork barrel project that delivers little, if anything, in tangible security gains. It's the very definition of Security Theater.
Continue to act like the sole protectors of the U.S, and White Nationalist culture, but don't try to sell us that bridge your building with your hate, ignorance, and fear. Trump's wall has no hope of working, and nobody is actually interested in creating an effective U.S border, since we all want to argue the White Nationalist rhetoric which is mostly about hating brown and black people with a goal of removing them from the country. That and white liberals/progressives/hippies too :)
Derp! Build a wall! Derp! You know it will Work! Derp!
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.