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opposing the THAAD missile defense system being deployed to Eumseong

Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has become a strong candidate for the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system. “The Yeongnam [southeast] area came up in talks between South Korea and the US as a potential location for THAAD deployment,” said one government official. “But focus has shifted to Seongju, where the Hawk missile air defense system is currently stationed.” While placing THAAD in Seongju would position it out of the firing range of North Korea‘s long-range artillery, it would still be able to protect military facilities like Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, which is within the 200 km strike range.

July 11. Eumseong is not a candidate site for THAAD deployment. (provided by Eumseong County)

On the other hand, if THAAD is placed in Seongju, there could be controversy over the idea that defense against North Korean missiles for the country’s capital area, which is home to half the population, is being abandoned. Some have mentioned Yangsan, in South Gyeongsang Province, and Chilgok, in North Gyeongsang Province, as other candidates for THAAD’s placement.

“We will select the optimum site [for THAAD deployment] that will assure military effectiveness while also guaranteeing the safety and health of residents, including considering the issue of the impact of electromagnetic waves on the locals,” President Park Geun-hye said during a meeting with her senior secretariat at the Blue House on Monday.

“THAAD will not target any third countries, nor will it encroach upon the security interests of any other third countries. We have no reason to do so. It is merely a measure taken with the intention to provide defense to protect our country and our people,” she also said in reference to concerns from China.

“At the end of June, a joint taskforce between South Korea and the US finished a review of the best locations,” Defense Minister Han Min-koo said at the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee. “We evaluated the locations thoroughly based on military utility, strategic availability and site availability without taking politics into consideration,” he said. Defense Minister Han and Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se made it clear yesterday that the deployment of THAAD was not an issue they needed the National Assembly ratification agreement on.

Eumseong County Mayor Lee Pil-yong (fourth from the left) and county residents shout slogans at a park

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer, Choi Hye-jung and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporters

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