Dozens of protesters from Seongju County and Gimcheon City in South Korea, where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system is being deployed, took to the streets on Thursday after the government released results of its assessment of environmental effects from the embattled system a day ago.

The protesters said the environmental impact assessment of the missile defense system carried out by the country's defense ministry and environment ministry was illegal and invalid.

Though the government claims that the electromagnetic radiation levels are only about 0.2 percent of the safety standard, the protesters said 11 of the around 100 residents in the villages in front of the radar developed cancer and seven of them have died.

They also noted that the deployment of the system also had a negative impact on the residents' mental health.

The protesters strongly condemned President Yoon Suk-yeol's government for hastily conducting the assessment and promoting the full deployment of the missile system in South Korea.

Yoon's government has repeatedly said it will accelerate the deployment of the system since it took office in May 2022.

In March, militaries from South Korea and the U.S. announced that the THAAD missile system conducted field maneuvering training outside the base for the first time after being deployed in the country.

In 2017, South Korea and the United States deployed the THAAD missile system in Seongju, causing strong dissatisfaction among residents.

For years, residents in Seongju, Daegu and Seoul have held protests and rallies demanding that the South Korean government withdraw the THAAD missile system.