North Korea on July 9 test-fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Seoul’s defence ministry said, a day after the US and South Korea decided to deploy an advanced missile defence system in the South. / AFP PHOTO /
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea will announce on Wednesday the site for an advanced US missile defense system, officials said, following strong objections from China and Russia accusing Washington of flexing military muscle in the region.
The plan to deploy the powerful system, which fires projectiles to smash into enemy missiles, came last week after the United States placed North Korea’s “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-Un on its sanctions blacklist for the first time.
Tensions have soared since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a series of missile launches that analysts say show the North is making progress toward being able to strike the US mainland.
The site for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, will be announced at 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) Wednesday, South Korea’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Yonhap news agency reported it would be deployed at an existing anti-air missile base in Seongju county, 276 kilometres (172 miles) south of Seoul.
Speculations about possible sites sparked angry protests from local residents in Seongju who cited fears of economic and environmental fallout from the deployment of the THAAD system.
Thousands of residents took to the streets Wednesday, some carrying banners and chanting slogans while others burned a mock THAAD missile, according to reports, while county head Kim Hang-Gon and local council members launched a hunger strike to contest the proposed site.
A team of South Korean senior officials and THAAD experts travelled on Wednesday to Seongju, home to 40,000 people, to ease protesters’ fears, Yonhap said.
North Korea threatened Monday to take “physical action” against the planned deployment of the powerful anti-missile system.
The move has also angered Beijing and Moscow, which both see it as a US bid to boost military might in the region. China on Friday said the move would “seriously damage” regional security in northeast Asia.
The US and South Korea began talks on deploying the THAAD system to the Korean peninsula in February after the North fired a long-range rocket.
South Korean authorities have scrambled to allay fears over possible trade retaliations from South Korea’s largest trading partner China.
Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho told the National Assembly Wednesday he believed China will separate politics from economic affairs and is not likely to hit the South with economic sanctions over missile system deployment.
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