Explaining Thaad, and Why It So Bothers China: QuickTake Q&A

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Elected South Korea’s president in May, Moon Jae-In opposed the early deployment of a U.S. missile defense system aimed at protecting his country from a North Korean attack. Now, after months of accelerated missile launches and a huge nuclear test by Kim Jong Un’s military, Moon has signed off on the full deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as Thaad. His country’s move has come at a cost: China, seeing Thaad as a threat that will break “the strategic equilibrium in the region,” has enforced painful economic measures against South Korea.