Responding to concerns that Pyongyang might launch a missile that could hit Taiwan, Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) said yesterday that the military is capable of intercepting a North Korean missile.
“It does not pose a threat to us,” he told legislators on the Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Kao said the chances of Taiwan being accidentally hit by a North Korean missile are low.
Asked whether the military could intercept a missile if one should come toward Taiwan by accident, he said “yes,” without elaborating.
At the center of attention was an air force long-range radar installation in Hsinchu County, which detected a North Korean launch in December last year minutes earlier than systems in Japan.
Kao said that each detection situation is different and it largely depends on the launch location, the type of rocket being launched and the direction in which it travels.
Taiwan was able to detect the December launch within a minute because the rocket was flying in the general direction of the Philippines, he said. Taiwan would be able to detect missiles aimed in other directions by drawing upon different intelligence sources, he added.
Ministry of National Defense officials also said that amid the continued saber-rattling by Pyongyang, there were major maneuvers in North Korea on Wednesday.
China flew a reconnaissance flight over the Yellow Sea, while the US sent five surveillance aircraft over waters west of the Korean Peninsula, the officials said.
In related news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Taiwanese to defer trips to South Korea, but its travel advisory for South Korea remains at “gray,” the lowest-level advisory.
The four-level advisory system goes from gray to yellow, orange and red, which is the strongest warning.
Taiwanese have been advised to avoid non-essential travel to North Korea, for which the foreign ministry has issued an orange travel alert.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday night, the foreign ministry suggested that Taiwanese defer plans to visit South Korea for business, travel or study.
The Tourism Bureau said about 40 percent of scheduled group tours to South Korea had been cancelled as of Wednesday.
About 1,400 Taiwanese tourists are currently traveling in South Korea, and local travel agencies have been instructed to advise their clients to delay trips there or switch to other locations, the bureau said.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and AFP
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
RSS