My name is Daniel. I was an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and am now a writer who has

published three books including South Korea: Our Story by Daniel Nardini.

                       To put it mildly there have been major protests (especially by liberal and leftist

activists) against the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system. Now operational,

there seems to be a dispute who should pay for it and if it is even necessary. Sadly, THAAD is

necessary. The real issue should be the Nodong and Musudan missiles that can hit every part of the

Republic of Korea and even Japan. We know that these missiles pose a real threat to South Korea, and 

the former short-range Patriot anti-missile defense system is not enough to stop these. Think about all of the

money North Korea has spent for these weapons, and the money spent for advanced weaponry that

should have gone for food and medicine, repairing North Korea's crumbling infrastructure, and providing

social services for its people. The Nodong and Musudan inter-mediate range missiles can only be used for

offensive purposes, and they can be loaded with chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons.

These missiles ARE the issue, and are part of an effort by the North Korean government to dictate terms

of what it wants from South Korea and Japan. This is the sad reality we face.