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A petition called “Rescind the decision to deploy [the] THAAD antimissile system in South Korea” posted on “We the People

To date, more than 94,000 people have signed a petition on a White House website calling for a withdrawal of the decision to deploy the THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) antimissile system in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, close to the goal of 100,000 signatures.

On July 15, a petition called “Rescind the decision to deploy [the] THAAD antimissile system in South Korea” was added to the We the People petition platform, which is part of the White House website.

Lawmakers with South Korea‘s opposition parties, including Rep. Son Hye-won, a lawmaker with the Minjoo Party of Korea, have used social media to encourage people to sign the petition against THAAD. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/rescind-decision-deploy-thaad-antimissile-system-south-korea

“The US and South Korean governments, against wide opposition of South Koreans (and strong subsequent backlash from local citizens of the deployment site [Seongju]), have agreed to deploy the US-made THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) system in South Korea. This measure is supposedly to counter North Korean ballistic missiles and provide additional security, yet this is a controversial move that [is] likely to escalate tension in the region, by provoking North Korea, China and Russia into a spiraling arms race,” says the petition, which was posted by Koreans living in the US.

“Now, more than ever, is the time to step back and de-escalate tensions by pursuing negotiated settlements that will provide [a] sustainable peace mechanism in the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region,” said the petition, which called for the decision to deploy THAAD to be reversed.

The website states that, if at least 100,000 signatures are collected during the month after a petition is posted (in this case, by Aug. 14), the White House will make an official response within 60 days.

Readers can sign the petition by entering their name and email address in the form on the right site of the website. To complete the signing procedure, click the link in the confirmation email that you receive.

By Park Soo-jin, staff reporter

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