A South Korean environmental impact assessment of a US missile defense system found “insignificant” electromagnetic radiation relative to safety standards, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, clearing the way for its permanent deployment.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system installed in South Korea in 2017 generated a maximum level of electromagnetic radiation below 0.2 percent of the safety standards, the ministry said.
China and some residents had complained about its placement in the southeastern air base of Seongju.
Photo: AP
“The latest environmental impact assessment is a preceding step for the normalization of the Seongju base,” the ministry said in a statement.
The study result is expected to clear the way for additional infrastructure construction for the system.
Officials have said THAAD could not be operated at its full capacity amid protests from nearby residents who raised concerns over the system’s impact on their health.
No USFK THAAD deployment: Sosungri Village and National Civil Society Network, a coalition of groups opposing the installation, denounced the government announcement.
The group said that the review was hastily done and hinted that it would continue protesting.
China has also angrily reacted to the installation, contending that the system’s powerful radar could peer into its airspace.
Washington and Seoul have said that THAAD is self-defensive in nature to counter threat from North Korea.
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