TEHRAN, April 20, YJC - According to Foreign Ministry, South Korea has finished approval procedures to provide land for the US Terminal-High Altitude Area Defense anti-ballistic missile system under its forces hosting agreement with the United States.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - South Korea has finished approval procedures to provide land for the US Terminal-High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system under its forces hosting agreement with the United States, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
US military equipment installations have reportedly started despite protests by dozens of local residents. At least two people were injured in clashes with police, with one of these taken to hospital.
The Defense Ministry had chosen Seongju County's Lotte Skyhill Country Club golf course, previously owned by the Lotte Group, for the land needed to deploy THAAD earlier this year. In February, the Defense Ministry said environmental impact assessments of the deployment were being considered. Lotte Group agreed to a land swap deal the same month.
The THAAD agreement was reached by Seoul and Washington in July 2016. The move came amid growing tensions spurred by North Korea's recurring ballistic and nuclear tests.
The THAAD system has a range of some 200 kilometers (125 miles) and is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles at the terminal incoming stage.
The move has been criticized by neighboring China and Russia as inappropriate, possibly disproportionate and affecting other countries' interests.
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