Hundreds of protesters camp along a road to a country club that is basing a powerful new US anti-missile system
The first week of May is usually a low-key time for South Koreans to relax but it was no time for a holiday near the Lotte Skyhill Seongju Country Club in North Gyeongsang province on Saturday. Hundreds of protesters camped at a site along a road into the country club to oppose the deployment of the a powerful new US anti-missile system. The club is the site of the contentious Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, a US-built anti-missile array meant to shield the South from growing threats from Pyongyang but has raised Beijing’s hackles due to its ability to peer deep into China. The system has also raised the ire of many South Koreans who claim it undermines the security of their country, a message made clear in the protesters’ banners. “Koreans hate THAAD and war!” read on banner. “Stop THAAD and give peace back to us” and “Stop US militarism in Asia & Pacific” said two others. A few days earlier protesters scuffled with some of the 8,000 police ensuring a convoy of military trucks could deliver components for the THAAD battery. According to local media reports, a dozen people – some of them elderly – were injured in the confrontation. The delivery got through but the protesters were undeterred. Yun Hye-sung, an activist from Seoul, said she would stay in Seongju for two days and one night, and then someone would come to take her place. She said the demonstrations would continue even after THAAD was fully installed. “We will persist. We could still pressure them to reduce the size or delay the operation, ” Yun said. “After last week’s incident, they had to deliver some components using helicopters instead.” The protesters have the support of various left-wing parties, with the Labor Party and the Green Party noticeable presences at the site. When they’ re not demonstrating, the demonstrators read, share child-minding duties and play music. North Gyeongsang is also the home base of the family of ousted president Park Geun-hye, a strong proponent of the THAAD installation. The area has traditionally been a conservative stronghold but the lack of consultation over the decision to deploy the system has put some residents offside. A young mother said she was worried about the possible impact of electromagnetic radiation from the system on the health of her six-month-old child. Also causing anger is US President Donald Trump’s remarks last week that South Korea should pay the US$1 billion cost for the THAAD system. “It only proved that THAAD is a tool of the Americans, ” Yun said. “We won’ t pay.”
