Support for THAAD deployment up 6 points to 56%: survey

Support for the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea stands at 56 percent, up 6 percentage points from a previous poll last month, an opinion survey showed Friday.

In the survey conducted by local pollster Gallup Korea, 31 percent of respondents objected to South Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, with the remaining 13 percent of respondents failing to give a reply. The nationwide telephone survey conducted Tuesday through Thursday covered 1,004 people.

In the previous poll conducted for July 12-14, 50 percent expressed support for the deployment, while 32 percent said the system should not be deployed.

 South Korea and the United States announced the decision on June 8 to place the THAAD system in the South to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. On July 13, South Korea said it had chosen the town of Seongju in North Gyeongsang Province as the site for the deployment of the anti-missile defense system.

In the latest poll, 49 percent of female respondents held a favorable view of the deployment, compared with 38 percent in the July poll.

The Gallup Korea survey also showed that the approval rating for the ruling Saenuri Party came to 34 percent, reaching the highest level since the party's defeat in the April 13 parliamentary elections.

The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, the minor opposition People's Party and the minor opposition Justice Party garnered approval ratings of 24 percent, 11 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

In the survey, 33 percent expressed satisfaction for President Park Geun-hye's job performance, flat from the previous week, and

53 percent held an unfavorable view, up 1 percentage point. (Yonhap)