Last week, Trump announced new details and initial funding for this missile defense system, emphasizing its critical importance to the nation's success and survival. In a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's foreign ministry condemned the initiative as a 'very dangerous threat' aimed at undermining the strategic security of nuclear states. North Korea asserted that the US is intent on militarizing space. As a key security ally for Seoul, Washington has ramped up joint military exercises and strengthened US strategic deployments in the region, which include aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, to deter North Korea.

Pyongyang has repeatedly claimed that its status as a 'nuclear power' is 'irreversible' and condemned each US-South Korea military drill as an invasion exercise. Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, indicated that Pyongyang views Trump's 'Iron Dome' as a threat. 'North Korea's strong reaction shows that the Iron Dome is seen as capable of significantly diminishing the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.'

Both China and Russia have expressed serious concerns about the US 'Iron Dome' program, accusing the United States of 'undermining global strategic balance and stability.' According to a Pentagon report from 2022, China is closing the gap with Washington in the fields of ballistic and hypersonic missile technologies, while Moscow is modernizing its intercontinental missile systems and developing advanced precision-guided missiles. Initially, the Kremlin condemned the 'Iron Dome' as destabilizing, but later softened its stance, stating that Trump's proposal should be discussed with Russia, beyond which it is a matter of US domestic policy.

The name 'Iron Dome' is derived from Israel's air defense system, which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since its operation began in 2011. The missile threats faced by the US are quite different from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome was designed to counter.