The president’s office said it was conducting an environmental review, which could take a year.
South Korea’s government is suspending the deployment of the U. S.-backed Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the president’s office announced Tuesday, citing the need for an environmental review.
Two THAAD launchers that have already been installed will remain; four that arrived recently won’ t, an official from the presidential office said. THAAD, which is a missile-defense system that aims to protect South Korea and Japan from missile launches by North Korea, has also been criticized by China, which regards it as affecting the regional balance.
President Moon Jae-in’s office said an environmental review on THAAD’s impact on Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, where it is being deployed, could take up to a year.
