Korea's military ready to hold talks with THAAD site residents

South Korea's military said Wednesday it is always open to dialogue with residents opposed to the deployment of an advanced missile defense shield, over health risks linked to its powerful radar.

"We have no reasons to reject talks with Seongju residents over the THAAD deployment. There seems to be a consensus in Seongju in the making for talks with the government. Once they decide to have a dialogue, they said they will contact us," an official at the Ministry of National Defense said.

Earlier this week, Jeong Young-gil, who represents some 50,000 Seongju citizens and leads the protest against the government's decision to deploy a THAAD battery in the rural county 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, said people will engage in talks with Defense Minister Han Min-koo as there are voices for talks over the THAAD issue.

Seoul announced on July 8 that it will deploy the THAAD system in the country by late 2017.

The Seongju-based citizen's committee led by Jeong aims to meet Minister Han as early as this week to talk about the THAAD issue and find middle ground that can resolve the matter.

Despite test results that showed no impact on the health of nearby people, Seongju residents have expressed grave concerns about the electromagnetic waves that will come from THAAD's powerful X-band radar. They have called for the deployment planned to be completely scrapped. 

Seoul, on the other hand, made clear that the decision cannot be reversed because THAAD is necessary to protect the country against the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats. After the decision was announced to deploy the THAAD system, the North test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile on July 9, one Scud and two Rodong missiles on July 19, and two Rodongs on Aug. 3. (Yonhap)