South Korea will suspend any further deployment of a controversial US missile defence system until an environmental impact assessment ordered by new President Moon Jae-In is finished, his office said Wednesday. Seoul agreed last year under Moon’s ousted predecessor Park Geun-Hye to deploy the powerful
South Korea will suspend any further deployment of a controversial US missile defence system until an environmental impact assessment ordered by new President Moon Jae-In is finished, his office said Wednesday.
Seoul agreed last year under Moon’s ousted predecessor Park Geun-Hye to deploy the powerful missile intercept system to guard against threats from nuclear-armed North Korea despite angry opposition from Beijing, which views it as a threat to its own military capabilities.
Two missile launchers have been deployed in the southern county of Seongju, where hundreds of residents have staged fierce protests over what they see as potential environmental hazards posed by the batteries used in the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
There is « no need to withdraw » the two launchers that have already been deployed, a senior official at the South’s presidential office told reporters.
However, « additional deployment (of THAAD) should be carried out only after the environmental impact assessment is over, » the official added.
« We do not view the deployment process as urgent enough to bypass the whole environmental impact assessment, » he said.
