With an alleged test of a thermonuclear device, a rocket launch, and a recommissioned plutonium reactor, 2016 is shaping up to be a very busy year for North Korea (DPRK). After years of delay and South Korean (ROK) opposition, the United States finally entered into formal discussions with the ROK government over the prospective deployment of the American-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Critics bemoan the potential deployment as an unnecessarily aggressive move that reduces the chances for peace with North Korea and sours the relationship between Seoul and Beijing. It does not have to be. Deploying THAAD could make negotiations with North Korea more palatable to the United States and even act as a precursor to engagement.

… Harry H. Sa is a research analyst with the United States Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, a unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) based in the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.