South Korea, United States Intelligence Capabilities In Question After President Park Commented They Did Not Detect Advance Signs Of North Korea’s Recent Nuke Test

South Korea and the United States' intelligence gathering capabilities have met skepticisms from several political experts following the statement of South Korean President Park Geun Hye that the two countries were not able to detect North Korea's most recent hydrogen bomb test in advance, The Korea Times reported Thursday.

In the website's press release, the South Korean president said the two countries' intelligence agencies were not able to detect "particular nuclear activities" that would lead to the conduct of the hydrogen bomb testing in Punggyeri on Jan. 6.

The comment made by President Park has sparked concerns that the countries may not be able to prevent the threatening nuclear regime of Kim Jong Un.

A professor at the North Korean Studies University, Yang Moo Jin, said that President Park's revelation of the United States and South Korea's shortcoming from obtaining information on the bomb testing was "disgraceful."

"Under such circumstances, I believe what Park said was 100 percent true and that this shows Seoul and Washington are failing in their intelligence operations, individually and at the joint level," said Professor Yang.

Another professor at Dongguk University, Kim Yong Hyun, expressed his disappointment saying that the South's capability in collecting information was somehow faltering and that the joint intelligence operations of the two states were "not functioning properly."

Moreover, an international relations professor at the University of Handong said that South Korea may need more advanced surveillance devices and satellites "in order to prevent Pyongyang from conducting a fifth nuclear test."

In response to the missile and nuclear threats posed by the North, President Park said that her administration would be reviewing the possibility of permitting the United States military to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the country, The Hankyoreh reported on Thursday.

"If THAAD is deployed, I believe it would contribute greatly not only to defending the US military but also South Korea," said National Defense Minister Han Min-Goo.