South Korea's government will consider an alternative location in the southern county of Seongju for the deployment of an advanced U.S. antimissile system upon request, although it "may not be easy" to find a new site, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.
The statement came a day after President Park Geun-hye raised the possibility of her government mulling stationing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in a new location in Seongju rather than the already designated spot, amid strong opposition by residents in the county.
"Although it may not be easy to change the already designated site, (the government) will conduct a thorough study to see if there is another site (capable of hosting THAAD) should there be a request (for such a study)," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told reporters.
Since Seoul and Washington designated a South Korean artillery unit in Seongju as the site for the deployment of THAAD last month, residents there have strenuously opposed the decision.
The residents fear that THAAD's powerful radar system could pose health risks and hurt their agricultural crops, and that their hometown could become a military target in case of an armed conflict on the peninsula.
Strong opposition also comes from China and Russia that argue THAAD, a core element of America's global multilayered missile defense program, will needlessly escalate regional military tensions and undermine their security interests. (Yonhap)