4 more THAAD launchers to be deployed Thursday
Residents and activists chant slogans during a rally against the planned deployment of the four remaining launchers of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in the southeastern county of Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
The U.S. military plans to deploy the four remaining launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in the southeastern county of Seongju, Thursday, despite strong opposition from residents and activists, the defense ministry said Wednesday.
The ministry said the government has decided to allow the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to carry out provisional construction work needed to operate the battery and bring the remaining four launchers to the site.
Two launchers and an AN/TPY-2 radar for the missile defense system were already deployed there under the former Park Geun-hye government.
“The deployment is to be better prepared for North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and to deal with the grave national security situation,” the ministry said.
The USFK will move the four launchers from its air base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, to the site in Seongju along with equipment necessary for construction such as cranes.
The installment comes after the North conducted its sixth nuclear test Sunday, claiming it detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The ministry said, however, that the deployment is temporary, stressing that the final decision about the fate of the THAAD will be made after an additional, full-scale environmental survey of the site, which is expected to take more than a year.
Local residents have fiercely protested the deployment, claiming the former Park administration made a hasty decision without consulting them. They raised concerns over the potential harmful impact of the system’s powerful radar on their health and agricultural products.
President Moon Jae-in had originally held off the deployment, saying the full-scale environmental survey should be completed first.
But after the North launched a Hwasong-14 ICBM, July 28, Moon ordered his aides to immediately begin consultation with the United States to temporarily deploy the four launchers.
On Monday, the Ministry of the Environment gave conditional consent to the deployment, removing the last administrative hurdle for its full operation.
The environment ministry said it found the adverse environmental impact from deploying THAAD to be limited, after reviewing the results of the defense ministry’s survey of the site.
In late July, the defense ministry released the outcome of its assessment on electromagnetic radiation and noise from THAAD, saying the radiation and noise detected in the area remained within a safe range.