S. Korea cancels plan to measure THAAD's radar wave emissions amid opposition

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S. Korea has canceled a plan to measure radar wave emissions from the THAAD system, amid opposition.

South Korea's defense ministry on Friday canceled the plan to measure electromagnetic waves, emitted from the radar of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system deployed in the country's southeast region.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is seen in Seongju, South Korea, on April 26, 2017. /VCG Photo

Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun told a press briefing that the plan was called off amid opposition from anti-THAAD residents and peace activists.

Moon said if residents want the measurement in the future, the ministry will provide assistance for that.

The ministry was originally scheduled to measure the level of wave emissions Friday in areas near the golf course in Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province, where part of the THAAD battery is installed.

South Korean protesters rally against the deployment of THAAD during a march as they try to surround the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on June 24, 2017. /VCG Photo

Two THAAD mobile launchers and the X-band radar were transported to the golf course in the middle of night on April 26, about two weeks before the May 9 presidential by-election.

A THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, the AN/TPY-2 radar and the fire and control unit.

The radar is known to emit super microwaves, detrimental to the human body and environment.

A US military vehicle, part of the THAAD system, arrives in Seongju, South Korea, April 26, 2017. /VCG Photo

Some 40 people in Gimcheon city, which directly faces the radar located in the northernmost part of Seongju, asked the defense ministry to measure the level of the wave emissions amid growing fears over the danger.

However, anti-THAAD residents in Seongju and Gimcheon held a press conference Thursday to oppose the planned measurement, calling for the measurement to be officially conducted as part of the ongoing environmental impact assessment on the US missile shield.

The defense ministry under the previous government measured wave emissions in July last year with the THAAD radar installed in the US Pacific island of Guam.

Korean protesters rally against the deployment of the THAAD advanced US missile defense system. /VCG Photo

At the time, the radar was reported to have emitted a tiny level of electromagnetic waves.

Anti-THAAD residents in South Korea claimed the result was manipulated, saying the radar would have emitted a dangerous level of waves if it was in full operation.

(Source: Xinhua)