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An AN/TPY-2 radar

The US government voiced hopes to have a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system deployed on the Korean Peninsula “at the earliest possible date,” following Seoul and Washington’s Feb. 7 announcement that they were initiating formal consultations on the matter.

Many are now worried the South Korean government could bow to US pressure to have the system deployed hastily without careful consideration of the effect on relations with China or of the opinions of resident in sites that are candidates for the system’s deployment.

“[W]e’re beginning the consultations now in the coming days with the South Koreans and we expect that this [THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula] will move in an expeditious fashion,” said Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook in a regular briefing on Feb. 8.

An unnamed US Department of Defense source was further quoted by France’s AFP news agency as saying the system could be deployed within one to two weeks once the decision is made.

But Japan’s experience with installation of AN/TPY-2 X-band radar - a necessary component for THAAD operation - suggests the trickiness of the issue and the need to carefully consider the views of local residents. In addition to anticipated negative effects on the environment and nearby residents’ health from the X-band radar’s powerful electromagnetic waves, low-frequency generator noise also stands to have a direct impact on lives in the area.

In the case of the X-band radar positioned at Kyoto Prefecture’s Kyogamisaki site in Japan, nearly two years were needed between the Feb. 2013 decision by the US and Japanese governments to install the system and its actual operation. During that time, Tokyo arranged numerous resident briefings for suitable measures on areas such as site selection and purchasing, collection of residents’ opinions, and noise prevention. It also provided subsidies to the local government - yet the resident campaign against the system continues to this day.

Some predict surveying of residents’ opinions and other normal administrative procedures in South Korea could take even longer. Whereas the radar in Japan was positioned on the coast to face North Korea, any similar system targeting the North from South Korea would have to be situated in the country’s inland north. That in turn would require an area clear of any obstructions for up to 5.5 km in front of the radar system, with 6 km of the surrounding area designated as restricted airspace. Whatever site is chosen, frictions with residents over land appropriation and relocation now appear almost certain.

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent

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