Despite claims that the THAAD system only aims to defend from threats from the DPRK, some say its capabilities exceed South Korea's defense needs. Most missiles from the DPRK fly at an altitude of less than 20 kilometers, but THAAD can destroy projectiles flying at an altitude of between 40 and 150 kilometers.

Also THAAD's radar can detect missiles as far as 6,000 kilometeres away, which covers not only the DPRK but also parts of China and Russia.