- 28 Sep 2017 02:14
#14846985
South Korea will let the U.S. military install four more missile interceptor launchers, aiming to put more pressure on a North Korea rapidly advancing its nuclear and ballistic missile development.
Two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers now operate within the South's borders. The American missile defense system is designed to hit enemy rockets re-entering the atmosphere at altitudes of roughly 50km to 140km.
Then-President Park Geun-hye signed off on THAAD's deployment last July to protect key military and civilian assets from short- to medium-range North Korean missiles. But the decision drew pushback from residents of the affected Seongju area.
Current President Moon Jae-in, who replaced Park this May a few months after her impeachment and removal, had long signaled skepticism of the missile defense system. Citing a need to respect legal processes, his administration decided to hold off on a final decision until after an environmental impact assessment of the staging site.
A recent study by the Ministry of National Defense found the environmental impact acceptable under certain conditions. After reviewing it, the Ministry of Environment branch overseeing the affected area announced Monday its conditional consent for THAAD's installation.
The ministry ruled out the possibility of the environmental impact exceeding that at launch sites in Guam and elsewhere. But it did require monitoring of the electromagnetic radiation generated by the battery, among other stipulations.
However, ordinary citizens of South Korea have a different opinion.
In the rural town of Seongju, thousands of police officers in riot gear swarmed some 400 protesters who since Wednesday night had been occupying a road leading to a former golf course where the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System is installed.
The officers also broke the windows of several cars the protesters were using to block the road and towed the vehicles away. A fire department official in Seongju said 38 people, including six police officers, were injured, none seriously. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.
Several U.S. military vehicles, including trucks carrying payloads covered in black sheets that appeared to be launchers, had been seen heading toward the site.
A THAAD battery normally consists of six launchers capable of firing up to 48 interceptor missiles, but only two launchers have been operational so far. South Korea's Defense Ministry couldn't immediately confirm when the four launchers added on Thursday will be operationally capable. Seongju residents and activists have worried over health hazards and the possibility of being targeted in North Korean attacks.
Two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers now operate within the South's borders. The American missile defense system is designed to hit enemy rockets re-entering the atmosphere at altitudes of roughly 50km to 140km.
Then-President Park Geun-hye signed off on THAAD's deployment last July to protect key military and civilian assets from short- to medium-range North Korean missiles. But the decision drew pushback from residents of the affected Seongju area.
Current President Moon Jae-in, who replaced Park this May a few months after her impeachment and removal, had long signaled skepticism of the missile defense system. Citing a need to respect legal processes, his administration decided to hold off on a final decision until after an environmental impact assessment of the staging site.
A recent study by the Ministry of National Defense found the environmental impact acceptable under certain conditions. After reviewing it, the Ministry of Environment branch overseeing the affected area announced Monday its conditional consent for THAAD's installation.
The ministry ruled out the possibility of the environmental impact exceeding that at launch sites in Guam and elsewhere. But it did require monitoring of the electromagnetic radiation generated by the battery, among other stipulations.
However, ordinary citizens of South Korea have a different opinion.
In the rural town of Seongju, thousands of police officers in riot gear swarmed some 400 protesters who since Wednesday night had been occupying a road leading to a former golf course where the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System is installed.
The officers also broke the windows of several cars the protesters were using to block the road and towed the vehicles away. A fire department official in Seongju said 38 people, including six police officers, were injured, none seriously. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.
Several U.S. military vehicles, including trucks carrying payloads covered in black sheets that appeared to be launchers, had been seen heading toward the site.
A THAAD battery normally consists of six launchers capable of firing up to 48 interceptor missiles, but only two launchers have been operational so far. South Korea's Defense Ministry couldn't immediately confirm when the four launchers added on Thursday will be operationally capable. Seongju residents and activists have worried over health hazards and the possibility of being targeted in North Korean attacks.
- By JohnRawls
- By wat0n
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