Military reaches out to villagers over hosting US missile shield

Senior officials from the Ministry of National Defense met on Monday with villagers protesting the military’s decision to host a US anti-missile system near their homes. It was their first in-person gathering to work out the yearslong disagreement.

The government delegation, led by Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min and municipal leaders, sat down with community members and civic groups in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, which houses the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

Residents have demanded that the military remove the THAAD system ever since its deployment in April 2017. They have refused to acknowledge an informal government review that concluded the THAAD radar posed little risk to public health.

A formal environmental study, which President Moon Jae-in ordered in 2017 because he had wanted a full debate on the subject before putting up the system, has yet to start and is not expected to begin anytime soon. Moon leaves office in May next year.

Tensions between protesters and police have escalated in recent weeks as the military tried to deliver food and other necessities to the THAAD base on foot. The military has had to fly the items to the makeshift base because villagers blocked the only road leading to the site.

The living accommodations for the soldiers living on the base remain inadequate, as South Korea has dragged its feet on approving a permanent US base because of pressure from local protesters and China, which said the THAAD radar is powerful enough to spy on its mainland.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)