S. Korea to deploy THAAD amid China's opposition

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‍South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced on Wednesday that four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) rocket launchers will be deployed by the US Forces Korea (USFK) on Thursday at their base in Seongju, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul.

The USFK would attempt to deploy four more THAAD launchers to the former golf course at the Soseong-ri village at about 2:00 a.m. Thursday (1700 GMT Wednesday), Yonhap news agency reported.

China reiterates its opposition and strongly urges the US and South Korea to stop the THAAD deployment process immediately, remove all related equipment and pay more attention to the security interests and concerns of other countries, including China, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Wednesday.

The deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea will not be a solution to the security concerns of relevant countries, but would seriously undermine the strategic balance in the region and damage the strategic and security interests of countries in the region, including China, Geng said.

In the meantime, it would also increase tension and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, and make the problem more complex, Geng added.

Local residents have fiercely protested against the THAAD deployment, as a physical conflict between riot police and residents broke out on April 26, when two mobile launchers and other THAAD elements were delivered to the Soseong-ri village.

File photo shows the THAAD interceptor. /Reuters Photo

The remaining four launchers are stored at a nearby USFK compound. A THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, the AN/TPY-2 radar and the fire and control unit.

The ministry said the deployment is "provisional," with additional environmental impact assessment needed.

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