Vice defense minister to hold talks with Seongju residents to resolve THAAD standoff
South Korea‘s vice defense minister is planning to hold talks with the residents of Seongju who are opposed to the deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-ballistic missile system in their county, official sources said Friday.
The move comes as Seoul is making an effort to allay health concerns related to the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system’s powerful radar and listen to the grievances of locals.
“Vice Minister Hwang In-moo went to the rural county in the North Gyeongsang Province, 296 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday. He plans to stay there until Sunday for talks with residents who are strongly against the decision by Seoul and Washington to deploy the THAAD system,” an official at the Ministry of National Defense said.
He said for now, there are no meetings scheduled with local residents, although adding that Defense Minister Han Min-koo is willing to visit Seongju again.
Earlier in the day, defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said the government is fully committed to engaging in dialogue with the residents of Seongju and is ready to meet them if opportunities come up.
This is the second time a high-ranking government official is in the town to persuade locals to accept the planned THAAD deployment.
On July 13, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and defense chief Han visited the town to offer an apology but failed to make any headway or hold face-to-face talks. Instead, angry protesters threw eggs and water bottles at the officials and kept them on a bus for about six hours before they returned to Seoul later the same day.
Seongju residents initially balked at potential health concerns related to the electromagnetic waves emanating from the THAAD‘s X-band radar, which they feared could cause cancer and infertility, but more recently have expressed anger at the fact that the deployment decision was made “unilaterally” without any consultation with them in advance.
In its latest efforts to show the safety of the THAAD battery, the defense ministry brought a group of Korean reporters to Guam where military officials from the U.S. and Korea jointly conducted tests to measure the level of electromagnetic waves coming from a THAAD radar in Guam.
They demonstrated that the radar posed no health risks, but Seongju residents were not impressed with the results.
Some residents even said that for now they were not interested in holding talks with the government or any deal other than the government reconsidering its stance to set up the THAAD system in their midst.
On the other hand, some have hinted that if the policymakers decide to place the battery on a remote mountain, where there are almost no people nearby, they may be interested in negotiating.
Seoul said it wants to place the THAAD battery in Seongsan-ri region of Seongju on the site of an Air Force anti-aircraft missile base.
Separately, U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert said the THAAD battery will be used only for protection of South Korea.
His comments to some local media came amid speculation that the advanced U.S. anti-missile system would lead to South Korea becoming part of the wider U.S. missile defense system.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said the planned deployment of the THAAD system is for self-defense and will not be incorporated into the U.S. missile defense system. (Yonhap)
-
Yoon approves labor minister's appointment初冬飨丝苗,香啊!|不时不食·立冬我市摄影爱好者备战全国摄影拉力赛'Andor' Season 2 will answer these burning questionsCourting DisasterElon Musk says price of Tesla's 'full selfFDA approves new drug funded by 2014's viral Ice Bucket ChallengeIOC rejects 'defamatory' criticism from Ukraine古物:回望时间的印记TikTok's @HelloTefi loves Neopets, silly gooses, and raising alpacas
- ·Essential Apps to Install on your Windows PC or Mac
- ·以“体育+”助力和美乡村建设,第五届全国农民教育培训发展论坛分论坛在重庆举行
- ·Mickelson 'at peace' if never plays PGA again
- ·Portugal vs Ghana livestream: How to watch World Cup 2022 Group H live
- ·Arshad Nadeem receives Hilal
- ·Elon Musk says price of Tesla's 'full self
- ·Washington 'leaning toward phased approach on NK'
- ·Salt Lake City police shoot 13
- ·Number of COVID
- ·主动作为 拥军优属暖人心
- ·Tesla now charges $12,000 for 'Full Self
- ·于山水之间 赏滋润之美
- ·Webb telescope just snapped image of huge black hole gobbling material
- ·Apple releases major security updates for iOS and macOS
- ·LG's 5 weirdest CES 2022 announcements
- ·McDonald's adult Happy Meals (toy and all) are stressing employees out
- ·蒙顶山茶有了专属茶器
- ·Dogecoin is now the only accepted cryptocurrency for some Tesla products
- ·丰富体育文化生活 展现良好精神面貌
- ·Biegun to visit Seoul ahead of Trump
- ·抖音超600万次传播量!广东省农事运动会乡村直播大赛火出圈
- ·Donate to these Giving Tuesday campaigns to increase your holiday giving
- ·'US, North Korea should not walk away from talks'
- ·于山水之间 赏滋润之美
- ·We Bought the Cheapest DDR5 RAM Modules We Could Find, Are They Any Good?
- ·AT&T multi
- ·22 Unusual Things You Can Find in the Desert
- ·Bill seeks to find justice for Vietnamese victims of South Korean troops’ war crimes
- ·Spain vs Costa Rica livestream: Watch FIFA World Cup 2022 Group E live
- ·金科全国首届重阳敬老节即将温情启幕
- ·Pressure boost squeezes out more hydrogen from artificial leaves
- ·Bernie Sanders says country must get ready for Trump’s refusal to concede.
- ·AT&T, Verizon are at war with the airline industry over 5G safety
- ·我市摄影爱好者备战全国摄影拉力赛
- ·Best smart home deals this week
- ·Pence says US will 'stand firm' with North Korea